Hope of Dawn
by LadyMystiqueShiroe
Summary: Sequel to 'Unwilling to Stay Unwilling to Leave', with Achika, Piccolo's former lover returned, and falling further into the void of eternal darkness, will she and Piccolo get a second chance? Can the damage done in the past ever be undone?
1. Chapter 1: Beginning of a Journey

_Author's Note: This will be a sort of prequel for a sequel; it's more of a test chapter than anything, if i get any private messages and enough reviews asking to continue it, I may turn it into a whole entire tale, it all depends on my readers and the fans of this and my previous tale, so keep the reviews and critique coming! That could make the difference between starting a new awaited sequel or ending a far too questionable ending to a previous puzzle?  
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Prince Vegeta had gained back his life from a wish upon the dragon balls Kakarot and his friends had made. Over the next few months of his life, he accidentally mingled with the Briefs family, and trained in a pod, almost to near death. It was Bulma Briefs, the witty daughter who nursed him back to health, despite his unwillingness to be helped. After all, he was the son of a King! The greatest Saiyan warrior! What kind of man would he be if he allowed a woman to wait on him?

He never wanted to admit it, but soon enough, he grew attached to the human woman, even possessive. Though their relationship was never really quite normal, even in married life, there was no doubt that Vegeta cared about Bulma. They eventually would have a young son together, named Trunks. By then, it would have been many years since Vegeta had last seen his sister. She would have been Trunks's aunt, and judging by how he remembered her with a specific namekian boy, he would have guessed she would have been a good one.

Perhaps that was his problem, so caught up with his family, his settling down, and his newly growing friendship and rivalry with Goku, he had somewhat forgotten Achika; her memory just a shroud of his past, much like his father.

Perhaps that was the cause of the mayhem that was about to occur, he had dismissed the thought of her, he thought she would just rot in that Otherworldly prison, and not rise to rebel; well Prince Vegeta couldn't have been more wrong...

Very soon, the world would pay for his underestimation, and she would return to wreak havoc on those who had wronged her, without mercy, becoming a villain like no other.

It was an attack that no one would ever expect, and the impact of it would shake the earth like a thousand hurricanes.

For about ten years, there was peace on Earth, and for the civilians within it. The Z fighters were living peacefully, some in solitude, others in distant planets training, and the rest living normal daily lives with their lives and offspring.

Vegeta was the one to emerge on Earth with a second chance at life; Achika did not. If she had remained the kindhearted individual she was in her past, the wish would have included her as well, though her rather negative transformation has robbed her of any chances of living again. He did not even think about the pact she had made with King Yenma, or even what it was about. As soon as he returned to earth, nothing he left behind mattered to him anymore.

---

On a distant planet, covered in debris and empty space, upon a high ledge, two figures stood. One of them was a very tall, muscular hulking man with spiky black hair, and a monkey tail, it was the legendary Saiyan Broly. By his side was a woman, who knelt down on one knee, picking up some type of substance, as if it was an ancient piece of some long destroyed architecture.

" So this is where the castle of my father once stood?" she asked, observing the piece in her hand.

Broly nodded.

" I thought so... I remember the castle always smelling of burning charcoal, as if he even took the time to burn the endless numbers of bodies he slew".

Broly took a few steps closer to her in concern, but stopped when she told him she was fine.

" I suppose I should thank you... for helping in speeding up the process... by just following standard procedure, we would've wasted so much more time" she stated with a smirk, eyes averting to the left, with a strange glimmer about them.

Broly grinned, " King Yenma was not too happy about it".

" What's the lives of a few ogres anyway? He could use their blood to paint that dreary chamber of his a brighter color!" she mused, quite content and amused at the moment, her slightly cynical craving for destruction and chaos sated... for the moment.

Broly's eyes scanned the woman's body; he was surprised to see in the path of their forbidden, sudden flee of the Otherworld, Achika had decided to rid herself of her once beloved mother's dress. In it's place she wore the blue spandex, with white and gold armor, and white gloves, the garb of a warrior, of a true saiyan blood shedder.

When he asked her about it, she simply responded by questioning the importance a 'whore's' choice of wardrobe.

She was not the same woman he once knew, the brave girl that helped greatly in bringing down Freiza. She had changed, and took a turn for the worst; however, he could not say that he was not even more attracted to this new Achika, this wild temptress that made his blood boil with a single touch.

He wanted her for himself, and if that meant aiding her in her crazed quest, and helping in spilling the crimson tides, he would do so, more than once, if it meant having her in his arms.

" I am surprised the physical binds of that place allowed your form to flee in a materialized, fully functional, living state" Broly commented.

Achika glanced over at him, " Yenma and I still have a contract; he promised me life, in exchange for killing off a few villians such as Freiza and King cold, stirring trouble in the depths of hell... the only difference is... I decided to take my leave a bit...earlier than agreed" she murmured with a chuckle.

"I assume it didn't take long?".

She shook her head, " Of course not".

"Are you doubtful of this task?".

" I've waited ten long years for this chance at vengeance Broly.. and I will have it; all will stand in my way will perish... including you; either you stick by me, or you leave... right now" she told him, quite seriously, staring him in the eyes.

Achika was the only female Broly had ever known to have the balls to stare a man, or anyone or higher power straight in the eyes, without averting them once.

He put his finger to her chin, and spoke in a smooth, yet cunning tone, like crimson velvet pouring from the source of ungrateful intentions, " I will stand by you... no matter what your choice Lady Achika... make no mistake about that".

It was just the two of them now; Piccolo had betrayed them, Achika had nearly never thought of Dende, Son Goku would probably end up the enemy in all of this.. and Vegeta? Well, Vegeta was never truly a main component in her plan, just an annoying pest that needed to be taken care of, sooner rather than later.

He extended her hand to him, and he took hers firmly, in a form of an alliance, an agreement; for Broly, it was an agreement, as well as his way of groveling in attempts to show his raw affections, maybe even obsession for the woman; though Achika did not think upon it at all.

" My hands are just as guilty in red as yours" Broly explained.

Achika smiled, putting her hand to Broly's causing him to forcefully hide his newly flustered demeanor, her eyes narrowing in a strange fix.

"Your hands look clean to me.... for now, we go untraced... after all, we are nothing more than a pleasant memory to people... if that; they will not know of the blood shed, or the flames... none of it".

" They will only see Achika... the Savior, and the namekian will see you as the love he betrayed and lost... his guard will be down".

"Exactly. Now you're thinking with a functional brain".

Little did Achika know, is that she just possible could have made an alliance with an enemy. She was not aware that the planet he had led her to, claiming to be the ruins of their home planet was all a fake, nothing more than an illusion, set up by Broly's father Paragus, who has a personal, violent grudge with all who come from the King Vegeta bloodline. Perhaps Broly had nothing to do with it, maybe he was just being controlled, or perhaps his alliance was all just a facade.

He expected her to believe every word of it; after all, the sight was pretty realistic, for now he played along, as if he truly believed as well, that any type of ruins for their annihilated planet even existed at all.

Either way, Achika could not acheive this alone, for now she had to trust Broly, and his ability to help in battle.

" Broly?".

" What is it Lady Achika?" he asked, watching her gaze return to that of the ruins.

" Tell me about our planet... there is only bits and pieces... I can remember, after all these years, I doubt they will return to me".

" What would you like to know?".

"Anything...".

" I only remember the events in my life...".

" I think knowing at least something about you would be beneficial to our partnership, don't you?".

" Alright, what I remember is the constant crying of an infant, as one myself, it always kept me up at night, and disturbed my sleep. One night, men came into my room and I was stabbed with a pointy reckoning. Before I knew what had happened, my father had been injured by King Vegeta, the man who was also responsible for my execution, only because he feared me, he felt I should have died. We were left for dead, but what my father told me... is that I saved the both of us... right in the brink of our planet's destruction, I spared both of our lives, using a sacred energy I didn't even know I possessed" he proclaimed.

Achika looked to him solemly, placing a hand upon his shoulder, in a form of comfort, his hand reaching up to touch hers.

" Then I suppose I should apologize to you Broly, on his behalf".

He shook his head.

" The bastard was my father".

" I've told you before... in my eyes, you were the chosen royal blood, not him; if I am to give my respects to anyone, it would not be to His Majesty, it would be to you... mainly for the fact that you are nothing like your father... what you share is strictly blood alone" he reminded her.

" Thank you".

" It's strange... your father was the King... my father Paragus served under King Vegeta... it seems our contract has a little more than coincidence tied to it?".

" We will see...".

Then a strange silence invaded the air, until Achika finally asked the question she was hesitant to, but something she was ever so curious of.

" Broly?".

" Hm?".

" Did you ever find out who the infant was that kept you awake?".

" I never knew him personally, but after much digging I found out his name..." Broly replied, evident rage growing in his eyes as the name began to slip from his tongue like a disease.

" What was it?".

" His name was... Son Goku".

Achika's eyes widened as the memories of a certain obnoxious yet strong saiyan with a ferocious appetite filled her mind, the familiarity of the name finally giving her a face to tie to it, memories of that particular man had been buried with the rest for over ten years.

At her new, almost nervous demeanor, Broly raised an eyebrow, " You know... who he is.." he murmured, in a low tone.

"I might... but we could be thinking or two entirely different individuals".

" Not likely...." Broly chimed in, and a grin grew upon his well framed face. " This is more than fate... you can lead us to Son Goku, we both can have our revenge... there will be no bounds to our power! With you fighting by my side, we will be unstoppable..." he began, growing more passionate about the idea by the second, yet all of that ceased when he saw the torn uncertainty in her face.

"Achika, do you want your revenge?" he asked.

She nodded somewhat sheepishly.

" Let me rephrase this... who brutally ended your life, lied to you then left you to die?" he asked in a rasped tone, as if the words concerning the namekian were poison.

" Piccolo..." she murmured, a fiery anger glimmering in her eyes, as she balled her fists, memories of her death replaying in her mind, as they were burned into her mental psyche long ago.

Broly grinned maliciously, " Good you're remembering our cause... he must pay; you put your trust in him and he betrayed you... I would not do that to you... I will stay by you and make him pay with his life for what he did" he told her, putting his hands upon her thin shoulders, looking down at her with a comforting, yet reassuring gaze.

She stared at the ground for a long time, but when she did look back up at him, he saw the vicious look in her eyes, the look she wore before hesitancy overwhelmed her, the Achika he knew now, she was unwavering, he knew by mentioning her former love, she would not falter in her plans.

They both had come much to far to give in now...

" So are you ready?" he asked.

Achika looked to the so called ruins of her forefathers, taking a good, long look at it, before looking back at Broly. Once she did, she gave him a confident nod, and he knew she was prepared to take on the journey and task of domination.

" The plan is in motion".

" They won't even know what hit them".

"Could you handle destroying countless women.. and children?".

" I will show them the same courtesy I've been given".

Broly smirked.

" Show me the warrior I know you are... fight for your vengeance, let your power be known, show me the same passion I saw years ago when you fought Freiza, put it towards a new, more gratifying goal!".

" I'm not doing this for you, you swine".

" Then if not for me... do it for yourself, show your father that you are not worthless; that you can accomplish what he so pathetically failed at".

" He will surely be disappointed" she replied after a pause, a grin upon her fair face.

" What will you do about the innocent civilians? There was a boy you were quite fond of on Namek".

" Namek and everything that coexists with the dead planet means nothing to me, human or no human, they will all be vanquished".

"Are you sure?" asked Broly.

Achika glanced out of the corner of her eye, and to the right of her, she saw a small children's doll, made of fabric and yarn. She stepped on it hard enough to create a small ditch, its head fully dismembered from its body. She only smiled at the sight, and it was the symbolism of the chaos to come, that was all the confirmation Broly needed to take their plans a step further.

---

"Mom! I've already studied for my classes! Can I please go outside? Just for a little while?" a small boy asked, peeking over the kitchen table, where his mother and grandfather sat. His grandfather was once known as the Ox King, and was a towering, hulking man; his mother was named Chi Chi, and she had the spirit of a tornado when it came to her young son, Gohan's studies.

" I suppose... but I don't want you out long! You have an hour! I'll check your homework and if things are wrong you're marching right back in here and fixing them, you hear me Gohan?" she spoke up, in the middle of cooking some lunch for everyone.

Gohan nodded, "Yes Mom", and scurried out the door before she could change her mind. Gohan knew exactly who he could visit; he like his father, was a gentle and kind spirit, Chi Chi had always tried to keep him away from the world of fighting and violence, but even she could not deny him his saiyan heritage.

He hopped over the flat rocks of the small river in the middle of his small home and the endless plains. He followed a certain ki, to a rather desolate area, and with some difficulty, climbed up a small ledge, only a few feet steep.

There sat a certain warrior, green skinned, legs crossed, he was in silence, levitating a few inches from the ground. The man did not even have to open his eyes from his spiritual revival, or meditation session to know who the clumsy oaf was, who was bothering his session.

He would be lying if he said he hated the boy's company; Gohan was his friend, and changed Piccolo for the better. When he sacrificed himself to save Gohan, everything changed; his heart was no longer cold, and he finally had learned to think of others first, and to cherish the people in your life. It was a shame he didn't learn that years ago, yet his actions he was paying for now, by bearing the heavy burden of guilt on his soul, and mission a certain someone terrible every day...

There wasn't a time where he didn't think about her at least once...

His past he kept buried, those skeletons he revealed to no one, not even his closest friend Gohan.

" Piccolo!" the boy cheerily proclaimed.

" Hey there kid" Piccolo replied in his low, hoarse tone, a grin coming to his face, " Your mom finally let you see some daylight?".

" Yeah... well I was with Dad earlier" he explained almost sheepishly.

"Really".

" Yeah, he was visiting Bulma, asking her, something about the dragonballs, I wasn't paying attention".

Piccolo chuckled, " That's beause you have the same miniscule attention span as your father".

" Hey!".

" Well you know Piccolo, Bulma asked me about my schooling and stuff.... and I asked her if she was going to marry Yamcha, you know what she said?".

Piccolo scoffed, pretending like he was interested although he could care less about such ridiculous affairs.

" She likes Vegeta! She didn't really say it but the way she was acting... then I wondered who would be in their wedding, Bulma's parents, all of us, but then I remembered Vegeta doesn't really have any family..".

" And?".

" I asked Dad and he told me Vegeta had a sister, but that's all he said, he never told me what happened to her" Gohan told him, clueleslly, unaware of the past behind Goku, Piccolo and Vegeta's unknown sister.

Piccolo's eyes widened for a moment, and he went into silence, as if caught in a deep trance, memories flashing through his mind like a bad movie.

_" G-go ahead and do it... if you have the balls!"._

" Piccolo?!" called Gohan's voice, louder and louder repeating until he was snapped from that state of mind, Gohan staring at him in concern.

" You alright?".

" Fine kid".

" You're acting funny... do you know who I'm talking about?" the boy asked, curious as any child would be.

Piccolo was silent for a moment, hesitant to speak of her with Gohan; then again, if he couldn't tell him, who else was there that he could truly trust enough to tell the tale? No one; he wouldn't tell him everything, he was too young to understand, just what he needed to know.

" I did know her... a long time ago?".

" How?".

" Let's just say... we met by accident" Piccolo explained, grinning for a moment.

"What was her name?".

" Achika...".

" Oh...so if Vegeta is the Prince of all Saiyans like he says, she must have been a princess!" Gohan concluded, proud of himself and yet so interested still in the ways of bloodlines and fairytales.

Piccolo scoffed, " Princess of the pain in the asses is more like it".

" I don't think they have a princess for that Piccolo".

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, " I wasn't being serious.... she was a princess of the saiyans.. Now are you done asking questions? You should go home now, you mother will be worried" he began, using Chi Chi as an excuse to substitute against his own uneasiness, and the fact that Gohan's persistance in asking questions was starting to annoy him.

" Okay just one more thing!".

" And what's that?".

" Was she pretty?".

Piccolo went silent, unsure of what to say for a moment, " Was she what?" he spat.

" Well? Was she pretty? It's a simple question".

Piccolo's mind momentarily returned to a time when he dreaded knowing Achika's face; even now he hadn't forgotten it, her fraile, fair, velvet-like human skin, those gentle brown eyes and silken hair as black as a raven.

" Was she pretty you ask? Well she was... she was the first human I ever saw... and the first to actually brainwash me into thinking not all of your kind are ridiculously repulsive to look at" he teased, ruffling the boy's hair with his clawed hand.

Gohan briefly stuck his tongue out at him, and bid him a farewell before leaving.

Piccolo was glad Gohan did not ask what happened to Achika, he didnt think he could tell him with a straight face, without having some evidents of guilt stream down his face like wet paint in a rainstorm. Then again, perhaps all kids were as simpleminded; maybe not, especially since his father was Goku, perhaps Gohan was in a class all his own.

He just hoped that would be the last time he would ever have to speak about her again...

Especially since Vegeta never found out how his sister died; he only assumed this, he never truly knew for certain with his own eyes, then again he was sure because, if Vegeta knew, even if he hated his sister, having a namekian destroy the only family he had left? Piccolo would have been dead and sentenced to the depths of hell a long time ago...

He would much rather spend an eternity in hell than face the likes of Vegeta after he found out the truth, not like Piccolo's change of heart even mattered now, it was too late...

Who knows if he would be able to mentally handle it the next time around...


	2. Chapter 2 : Redemption

_Author's Note: This will be a sort of prequel for a sequel; it's more of a test chapter than anything, if i get any private messages and enough reviews asking to continue it, I may turn it into a whole entire tale, it all depends on my readers and the fans of this and my previous tale, so keep the reviews and critique coming! That could make the difference between starting a new awaited sequel or ending a far too questionable ending to a previous puzzle?  
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_From the day she was born all Achika remembered were people telling her she wasn't worth anything, that her existence was a waste of precious oxygen; that she was an abomination of her race. She had been stepped on by her father, brother and all else who followed them, the only one who ever believed in her was her human mother, and she died of illness just like any other human would, when Achika was still young, and needed her._

_She watched her father murder many, with their kin watching, and all King Vegeta could do was laugh in his glory, gleeful basking in such power, Achika feared him, and hated him for it, perhaps that was why she hid from him so often; King Vegeta only kept her as a courtesy to Rosatto after she died, but Vegeta's wife hated the bastard child, and made her life a living hell from day one._

_Vegeta's wife was a brutish woman, a full saiyan, with a stern face and muscular; the sight of her made Achika shake; she was nearly six feet tall and the child barely reached her ankles. When Achika would fall or make a mistake, there that woman was, laughing at her, not bothering to help her, saying awful things and spitting at the ground, as if she was a dog, or trash, that deserved such treatment._

_But what was it that made the young girl snap? what was it that finally warped her to such a violent nature that she had the courage to fight and stand up for herself, not caring if she broke a ribcage in the process?  
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_When Achika had turned thirteen on her Saiyan planet, that was when her beauty began to surface, she had the power of a saiyan, but the soft figure and face of her mother, a human. Her hair had grown out, her figure had curves, petite as it was. She looked nothing like the pure bred saiyan women that walked the planet, and perhaps that was the reason that started the tragedy in the first place, she stood out, making herself prone to attack._

_On a rather clear afternoon, Achika walked the grass near her home, her brother was out sparring with the leader in command of the saiyan army, or so that is what she was told. What her father did, she never really paid attention to, he was never that important to recognize._

_She was alone, that was her first mistake. After a few minutes of walking, she found herself sensing that other were following her, so she turned her gaze, and as soon as she did, a figure approached from behind._

_It was an adolescent male saiyan, called Nappa, and two others whom she did not recognize as familiar, yet Nappa she had, and cringed in repulsion at the sight of him, he was her brother's friend, as to why she never could figure out. Though Nappa was the crude, disgusting creature that often had nasty remarks to say about her, now that she was aging, the remarks got worse, possibly even sexually lustful or demeaning. She ignored it daily, but now on such a peaceful day was not one where she felt like tolerating it, so she turned and faced the three young boys, that was her second mistake._

_" What in the hell do you want you misshapen, pimply ogre?!" Achika snapped, eyes narrowing at the ring leader of the group._

_Nappa smirked cynically, as he took a few steps toward her, " We came to give the Princess a formal greeting, is that any way to speak?" he asked, in a painfully obvious sarcasm, snickering as he bowed lightly to her._

_She scoffed, and brushed them off with another snide remark, hoping they would leave her alone, but it only added fuel to the fire._

_" Why don't you go do something midly productive... use your monkey tail to scratch your own ass... I don't care just leave me alone" she mused, turning to walk away from the group._

_The sinister chuckles were faint behind her, yet she was startled when a hand grabbed her wrist firmly, preventing her to go any further. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nappa, preventing her movement, his rather putrid breath hot on her neck and shoulder, as he spoke in a hoarse tone._

_" I should have known as bastard like you would have no class.... what do you say boys! Should we teach her some manners?!" he called out to the other boys, who cried out in agreement._

_Achika's eyes widened, " Get your slimy hands off of me!" she screeched._

_" I don't think so Lady Achika, I think it's time you stop acting so high and mighty and know how it feels to be pushed in the dirt... as lowly as everybody else!" Nappa bellowed, pushing her into the ground._

_She couldn't defend herself, she had been neglected training, unlike the others. She had refused to be a fighter like her father and brother, she wanted to be different from them, not sink as low as they had, she was used to taking the cruelty that was given, until something traumatizing changed her entire way of thinking._

_No one else was there, Achika protested and cried out for help, but three boys on top of her made it rather difficult to move. Even if there were others nearby, they would probably just turn the other cheek, as if nothing was going on._

_Her garments were lifted and the boys took turns in letting out their pubescent hormones and blind rage and violence out on Achika, by raping her, violating her again and again, one by one as if they were playing a simple game._

_Her screams and tears went unnoticed, her clothes slightly tattered and ripped. After about an hour or two, Nappa arose, giving the broken girl a stern kick to the gut, fleeing the scene rather quickly, while readjusting their pants, leaving her in a fetal position, shaking and weeping._

_After giving a few moments to regain some composure, Achika sat up painfully, and observed her hand, it had trickles of blood upon it; to her own horror she looked down to find herself in a small pool of her own blood, and wailed in an agonizing cry of defeat and humiliation._

_What was the final straw was when some did finally realize something had happened, her noises were heard a little late. It seemed that Prince Vegeta was told and was sent to go and observe her, to make sure she wasn't dead and take her back with him, much to his own malcontent._

_Upon seeing her visibly battered form, he only looked at her as if she was the most repulsive creature on the planet, that was what killed her the most, he did not offer to help her, he just scowled at her._

_" Clearly you must have done something to deserve such treatment... I told you your mouth would get you in trouble... you filthy whore" Vegeta snapped, words dripping like bile from his throat._

_Her eyes were wide in shock, disbelief and more pain than anyone could ever imagine, when her own brother turned away from her and left her there, her whole world came crashing down. In her only time of dire need her own flesh and blood would not come to her aid? He would let her rot like everyone else?_

_Well no more..._

_Something in that moment stirred within Achika, instead of pain, it slowly ebbed, and morphed into such a terrible and blind rage, it shocked even herself. Slowly she managed to stagger to her knees, and her trembling ceased. She felt something surge through her entire body, reaching her brain, flowing through her veins like a disease, though it wasn't, it was something consuming, euphorically overwhelming... like a wonderous gift from the heavens..._

_It was her saiyan energy finally coming to the surface, unleashing with the force of a thousand gods._

_She allowed the energy to overtake her, in a blinding golden glow, and a wind that caused debris to fly, an aura that could be traced from another planet... and within seconds, the surge had faded, and in its place stood a woman with long, golden hair and piercing green eyes, sparks of electricity flickering about her form; she had reached the phenomenal level of a super saiyan, only recollected in legend._

_Her pain had morphed into something wonderful, a great tool that Achika would be eternally grateful for... and use for her own advantage..._

_In that moment she knew, no one would ever dare to cross her... never ever again...._

Achika awoke from a rather bizarre yet painfully disturbing dream. She stirred so much that she had been awoken by Broly, who hovered over her. They had taken refuge in the hills, to regain their strength to continue on at the break of dawn.

" Lady Achika? You were making quite a fuss" he mused softly, eyes concerned.

Startled, she punched him in the arm, causing him to lightly flail, he was surprised, but knew she wanted her distance, and so he moved away from her.

" Don't you ever get that close to me again! understand?" she snapped, the embers of the small fire a foot from them glimmering in her narrowed orbs.

Broly nodded, " My mistake... it was only a nightmare" he spoke, " Are you sure you aren't having second thoughts?".

" About?".

" You know what...".

Slowly she began to piece together his words and became angry, almost insulted.

" You think I'm weak! You think I would waver, well let me tell you something, I will have my revenge! I will anihilate this planet and everyone in it without any regrets!".

" But is it justice?".

" I died protecting a planet and a man I thought would respect me... and accept me... and in the end all they did was use me, betray me... no better than my own kin... all I have to trust now is myself... if this revenge isn't justifiable than nothing in this world is".

" Have we decided where to make ourselves known?" Broly asked.

" I remember something called the World Tournament being held yearly... its a way for fighters to face off for a prize on Earth... there we will make ourselves known... from that annihilation we move onto earth as a whole".

" But why waste our time?".

" To derive fear in all of them, watch them as they face death at their feet... so that they known our faces and cringe; not only that, but to lure Piccolo to us...".

Broly's smirked matched that of the horrific grin on the woman's face, " I love the way your mind works".

"I've had lots of time on my hands to plan".

Broly stared at her for a long time, as if weighing the act and consequences in his head... he knew how much this meant to her, how much she wanted it... maybe even craved it, who was he to deny her? Perhaps it was his adoration for her that allowed him to continue to stay by her side, and aid in the destruction that was about to unfold.

He nodded, as if coming to a mutual understanding and agreement with her and himself... and from there he left her to her thoughts, averting his attention and focus on resting, for their acts at dawn would be the prologue to a much greater chaos.

A nightmare...

Achika thought that particular memory had been erased, thrown into her warped childhood memories, locked away forever, blacked out... apparently not... she never thought after so many years the sting would still be there... that it would strike such a chord in her...

No matter, that was many years ago... when she was weak... since then no one ever tried to mess with her and lived to tell the tale... that was the way she wanted to keep it...

She let her guard down on Namek, for the first time in years, since the hardening of her soul, and Dende melted its shell, and her feelings for Piccolo began to change her, purify her in a way, yet his betrayal forced her to spiral deeper into violence and madness...

She stared into the fire as she pondered this, she could picture their faces in the embers, Son Goku, Piccolo, Lord Kami, Dende... all of them, faint like a blur... yet still existing.

Now she was just like every other pure blood ruthless saiyan that she had always despised...

---

" Mister Pikkon? What is it?" asked West Kai, raising his head to look at his tall pupil, who was focused onto the sky, his attention was immidiently taken away from his master, as soon as he sensed something strange.

Pikkon was silent for a long time; he had remained on Nakor for many years in training, and he had fought hard to become stronger, in memory of a dear deceased friend. He did not look like he aged a bit, and stood in the same white weighted garments he wore long ago.

" I feel an energy....".

" So?!" stirred West Kai, irritated by Pikkon's distraction, " A mere energy is something as important as to stray from my teachings?" he questioned sternly.

The feeling, the aura it was so.. familiar. Pikkon only sensed it for a brief moment, a stirring in the galaxy, before it was gone. He waited a few moments but everything remained silent, perhaps it was all in his head.

He spent two years awaiting Achika's return; it was as if he did not believe she was gone, that she would come to Nakor as she promised... and his fantasies and theories even got so out of hand as to think she would come back, hating the namekian and throw herself in his arms.

That was either wishful thinking or just plain ridiculous! Maybe both... after all, how could he be so foolish?

It took him some time to finally realize she was not coming back, that she was dead, in time he had accepted it. His love for her never truly diminished, it only dissipated little by little, to reduce the daily agonizing pain in his heart, so he could move on and live day by day, to work for his goal. Though she always did have a small part of his heart, where her memory would always stay alive.

Finally, after what seemed to be West Kai teetering on the edge of blowing a gasket, Pikkon averted his attention back to his master, apologizing.

" My mistake master... it is nothing after all" he spoke blankly.

" Good, now we can get back to training" West Kai pronounced, walking off with his hands behind his back, murmuring conversations and methods to himself, believing Pikkon was listening, and following right behind him like an obedient puppy.

Pikkon looked at the calm sky once more, waiting... hoping for a stir, but got nothing.

He shook his head, angry with himself for thinking up such a far fetched idea...

_" No... she's dead... as much as I wanted that energy to be hers... it couldn't have been"._

With that final thought, he dismissed the thought and walked back, following the West Kai to indulge in his teachings once more. This time his attention was not wavered, and the small planet was quiet once more.

_" Will I have the pleasure of seeing your smiling face once more, Miss Achika?" the green skinned inhabitant of Nakor asked._

_She giggled softly, back then in her purer form, " I promised you didn't I?"_

_" I just want to make sure I have your word"._

He had a somewhat half assed assertion upon trust in the female's word.

_" I swear on my life, we'll shake on it" she replied, shaking his hand briskly, in a form of agreement._

_Pikkon grinned, " Take care of yourself... and be careful... I would like to see you alive in the next few years"._

_" Psh, right... I can handle myself Pikkon don't you worry"._

If only she knew then the namekian she was so fond of would brutally betray her and end her life.

_" I hope so"._

_" So then this is farewell?"._

_" Not farewell... just a... see you soon"._

_He could never have been more wrong...  
_

" I held up my end of the promise Achika.... why were you so blind as to be unable to hold up yours?".

---

Piccolo stood on a cliff side overlooking the vast city. His white cape flowed with the pattern of the wind, silent he was, engulfed in his own thoughts, and the closest thing he could get to peace and serenity. His dark eyes scanned over the area, seeing the moving dots that were the people moving along, going about their daily lives.

He had attempted meditation earlier in the afternoon but after three hours of trying he had given up; he could not find the balance, the middle solace of his mind, that would allow him such luxuries. He had no distractions, Gohan was eating lunch prepared by Goku's nagging housewife, as for everyone else, the only one who was close enough to even attempt to bother him would be Bulma, but she was busy working on her next project.

He looked down at the palm of his green hand, seeing it visibly shake after a few seconds... when he looked at his own hands, for years all he saw was red... blood... her blood... even after all this time he felt her metallic crimson fresh on his hands as the day he had slain her.

He gritted his teeth in anger, groans of slight discomfort emitting from his throat, in a low growl, as he balled his fist, to such an extreme, with such force, his fingernails dug into his skin so deep that purplish colored blood welled up like water in a desert, dripping down to the dusty ground.

What had he done? ironically, her energy was never able to fully sync with his, not even Kami's wisdom could help Piccolo, it stayed in his blood for about a year, before it totally diminished, evaporated like the deed never was committed, like her saiyan energy was torturing him in its own way... teasing him with such power, then draining it dry, until there wasn't a trace left.

However, Piccolo had found it wasn't the loss of power that pained him over the years, none of that bothered him, tortured his guilty soul as much as the memory of her...

Her beautiful face was etched into his memory, burned there and never left; the sin he had committed that would surely sign his entrance into hell, and his love for her, that only deepened and ate away at him, if he only knew then what he knew now... if he could taste then the agony he felt now...

Perhaps he could have stayed his hand... and spare the life of the woman he loved.

" I deserve... every bit of this hell and more... I dug my own grave... who am I to beg for mercy now" he mused under his breath, staring up into the blue sky.

If he had not have met Gohan, he would not be the changed soul he was now, he would still be the selfish, ruthless cold warrior he was years ago. Gohan taught him how to love, how to earn and trust in a friendship.... that boy was his dearest friend... but even that would not make up for what he had done.

Sometimes he found his guilt to be so unbearable that he wished Achika would come back for vengeance, and kill him, destroying every last bit of him, maybe then he could find closure in death.

He couldn't blame Achika for hating him and wishing the most gruesome death upon him in Otherworld. He pondered his thoughts, sorting them out for a few minutes, before taking off into the sky, fast as lightning, gone in a flash.

He flew with such speed, and eventually landed softly upon the grounds of Kami's Lookout; it had been some time since he had last been there, with Goku and the others. However, Kami had fused with him, as well as Nail, he was no longer the head of this place.

Emerging from inside, came a tall namekian, the guardian of the earth in Kami's place, the namekian in training, an adolescent boy called Dende.

" Piccolo! It's great to see you..." the boy began with a smile, approaching the warrior.

" Likewise kid..." Piccolo lowly spoke, approaching the boy with a calm, yet rather stern expression.

" What did you come for? The last time I have seen you is...".

" I know; I came to ask a favor...".

The antennas on Dende's head drooped in slight panic and concern, " It's about the dragon balls isn't it..." he murmured, almost stuttering over his words.

Piccolo stood over his as tall as a mountain, he didn't move when he spoke, he was serious, the boy knew that, and his rather intimidating expression seemed to press the seriousness even further.

Piccolo only nodded without a word; he knew that the dragon balls were sacred, that it wasn't wise to use them except in dire need, he knew that better than anyone. He usually never spoke about them, except when it came to undoing the destruction of previous battles... but there wasn't been one in years, there had been peace for some time... so what could he possibly need the dragon balls for now? Why would he even ask of them?.

Dende wasn't sure... but that was partly what he was afraid of...


	3. Chapter 3: Assimilation

_Author's Note: This will be a sort of prequel for a sequel; if i get any private messages and enough reviews asking to continue it, I may turn it into a whole entire tale, it all depends on my readers and the fans of this and my previous tale, so keep the reviews and critique coming! That could make the difference between starting a new awaited sequel or ending a far too questionable ending to a previous puzzle?  
_

_

* * *

_

Dende wasn't sure if he should ask the next question that was at the tip of his tongue. Luckily he managed to stop himself from saying something potentially dangerous. He looked into Piccolo's serious eyes, almost desperate. The namekian had been a broken tortured soul for years; he knew that better than anyone; he wasn't aware of Piccolo's past until a year after Achika's death. Kami finally told him what happened to the female saiyan and for a long time Dende despised Piccolo with every inch of his being, yet at seeing his transformation thanks to Gohan and the suffering weighing down his heart he managed to forgive him in time.

" Mister Piccolo?".

" Hm?".

" This.... wouldn't have anything to do with Achika, would it?" the younger namekian asked sheepishly, almost stumbling over his words.

Seeing Piccolo's scowl, Dende immediately apologized, " I'm sorry, it isn't my place to ask..." he muttered, shuffling his feet as he took a few steps back from the massive, and quite frankly, intimidating warrior.

" No, you have every right to ask... she loved you very much Dende" Piccolo mused with a light grin.

Dende looked up at him and nodded, expression saddening, " I miss her... I think about her... every day".

" I know" Piccolo murmured, and stepped to the Lookout's edge, staring down at the abyss of blue skies and endless clouds, that stretched out for what seemed like an eternity, the wind mild even at such high elevation.

" I need you to call Shen Lon".

Dende looked at him, reluctantly, yet he didn't say anything.

" Please kid... you're the only one who can... I need to know..." Piccolo began, glancing at Dende through the corner of his eye, and the younger namekian could see traces of his suffering deep in his gaze.

" Need to know what Piccolo?".

" What... happened to her" Piccolo murmured, as if ashamed.

Dende hesitated a moment, before replying, " I will gather them for you, and call Shen Lon.... but I'm not doing it for you" he began, and walked back inside the Lookout, soon coming back with dragon balls in hands.

" I wouldn't expect anything less" Piccolo murmured under his breath with a smirk.

Piccolo looked back within a few moments to see Dende putting the dragon balls in formation, as they started to spantaneously glimmer in a golden aura.

" Thanks kid, this means a lot" Piccolo mused, arms crossed over his chest.

" Don't thank me just yet" Dende replied, putting the last ball in formation,watching as the glow stayed, and the clouds in the sky began to regroup and seperate. The two of them stared in awe, and Dende spoke the magic words to awaken Shen Lon the dragon, it all seemed to happen in a flash of light. When it did and the blinding light and smoke cleared, there was the great legendary dragon in all his glory, coiled in the sky like a great god, it was a magnificent sight.

_" Who has awaken my slumber..."_ the dragon commanded in a booming voice that had a force of ten earthquakes.

Dende was about to shakily speak up, but Piccolo stood in front of him, facing the dragon without a flinch, taking his place.

"I did, I need a request from you" he began.

_" Be sure to choose your one wish carefully and wisely, I cannot return for some time after this one has been made.._." Shen Lon roared.

Piccolo nodded, " I know".

_" What is your wish?"._

" I need you to tell me what is of a female saiyan, Princess Achika, daughter of the late King Vegeta, if possible... revive her life, it is the least I can do for her now" he began; Piccolo had thought about wishing her back sooner, but there was a certain time period you had to wait before calling upon Shen Lon, other things involving Earth's demise called precedence.

" _Is that you final wish?"._

" Yes".

Shen Lon's red orbs glowed as he searched the Other world for status of this woman, when he did find her, it was something even he could not predict or expect, he waited a moment before speaking up.

_" The woman you speak of cannot be revived..."._

" Why not?!" Piccolo snarled.

" _She has already been restored her human life by an unknown force, she is no longer of the dead... she is very much alive"._

Dende and Piccolo stared agape in utter shock, " That can't be!" Piccolo shouted, as Dende was just as confused. He remembered the day Achika had been killed, so why wasn't she still in Otherworld, how could Shen Lon say she was alive? It didn't make any sense, she was gone.

_" You asked to revive the woman, since she already is alive I cannot do so... your wish has already been granted" _Shen Lon spoke, and before Piccolo could protest, the dragon vanished in a wave of forming clouds and lightning strikes, by the time the sky was clear, Shen Lon was gone, and the wish had already been made.

Dende stepped up to the edge, staring into the sky, speechless, he waited a long time before turning to Piccolo, " So...what does this mean?".

" It means for whatever reason Dende... Achika is alive...and on Earth, and I'm sure she didn't come back to give me a big hug".

" You're wrong! Achika isn't like that! She wouldn't hurt anyone!" Dende protested, still defending her after all these years.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at his naive nature, " I hope you're right kid, I really do, for our sake...".

Dende watched the older namekian's feet shift from under him, " Where are you going Piccolo?".

" To let at least Goku know.... either that or find some answers" Piccolo responded grimly, and took off faster into the sky, vanishing from plain sight in the blink of an eye, before Dende could protest. The young namekian stared up into the sky, black orbs full of concern, even if Piccolo thought she would return to cause havoc, he still believed in his Achika, he wanted to believe she still was the friend to him that he once loved so much.

---

" What are you staring at?" a voice asked, in a low masculine tone, directed in the way of the young raven haired woman that stood overlooking the cliffside. Below was a bustling part of the large city, the woman was silent. As the larger man approached her, she slowly turned, pushing her bangs out of her eyes, looking to him with a rather firm gaze.

" Are you regretting our decision?" he asked.

" Don't go soft on me Broly! Of course not!" she snapped back, putting her hands on her hips.

He grinned, her feistiness was something he always was fond of .

"Well then what are you waiting for, Lady Achika?" he asked, eyes glaring down at the surface, then at her, as she seemed torn.

Just when Broly thought Achika was going to call their plans off, Achika did something unexpected, she raised her hand and a small glow of energy emitted from it, that ball of energy started off tiny, then got bigger, yet for some reason she held fire.

" I thought we were going to enter this tournament..." Broly mused.

" We are fool. First I want to get them worried, scared. I want them to think the apocalypse is coming, so our arrival won't be as noticed, they will be so busy living in fear they won't see us as a real threat" she told him sternly, eyes narrowing.

Broly watched as that ball of energy dispersed from her hand, and traveled down, onto the city; there was silence, and then a crashing explosion was heard, energy and fire consumed the city, until the smoke and debris cleared. People were scattered, screaming, frightened and weak.

A smirk fell upon the saiyan princess's face, an evil grin, unlike Broly had ever seen, the more he observed, the more he began to convince himself she had changed, for the worst, whether or not that was a bad or good thing, he wasn't sure yet.

She leaped from the boulder, and descended slowly into the city, falling to the ground and gracefully landing on her feet. Broly soon followed her; it was an interesting sight, woman were grabbing for their children, making runs from the city... and from them. Some of them were injured, others dead, lying in their own pools of crimson blood.

He glanced at Achika who seemed completely un sympathetic, it was as if the scene playing out was a bother to her, wasting her time.

" Lady Achika?" he spoke up.

She was silent; an awful silence overtook the area, until she took a few steps ahead, not caring who was in her path. The few civilians that were unable to move, or froze in fear, cowered and trembled at her approach.

One of the civilian men noticed her saiyan apparel and had the nerve to speak up.

" Y-you're one of them, the monkey tails! The killers!" he shouted, partly in anger and horror.

Achika was silent for a moment, her eyes narrowed, before she bursted out into laughter, amused by their stupidity.

" Let me introduce myself..." she began, walking closer to the man, until she had him cornered, " My name is Achika, Princess of all the Saiyans! I am here to bring you your deity of death! This place will crumble at my strength, and you will be the first to experience the agony..." she began, raising her hand so that another ball of energy grew within it.

"Lady Achika!" called Broly.

She glanced back, wondering why he decided to speak up.

" This better be important Broly...".

" Leave the measly human, don't waste your energy, it will die with all the others eventually..." he told her.

Achika took a moment to observe the sniveling man then looked back to Broly, whom was serious in his claims she could tell. Shaking her head softly, with a scoff, she stared at the human, " You're lucky this time... stand in my way again and you will wish you hadn't" she told him, the ball of energy dissipating, and she turned, walking back to Broly's side.

The two of them then levitated into the sky once more, overlooking the city again.

" We've only demolished a single part of it" Broly observed.

" You mean I did".

" Do you think that will be enough?".

" For an uprising? A new calamity of fear? I don't think so..." Achika began, and lifted both her arms, gathering a massive ball of golden energy within; in the next few seconds she managed to transform into her super saiyan counterpart, something that still shocked Broly, even though he had seen it before.

Waiting until the energy was about the size of her entire body, Achika decided to let it loose upon the city; she threw it towards the remains, and shielded herself as it's wreckage had made itself known.

Screams of agony and pain shrilled throughout the area for miles. The smoke and flames could be seen from a ways away, by the time that energy blast had ceased, there was nothing left but rubble, not a building or home stood.

" Perfect..." Achika murmured as she lowered her arms, smirking at the glow from the destruction, the impact from the wind catching her hair.

" It seems the namekian underestimated you, I'm sorry to say at a point so did I..." Broly admitted.

" The world underestimated me Broly, and know they will all pay.... soon enough" she replied, in a dark tone, then her eyes averted to him, and she placed her hand over his massive muscular arm.

He looked very surprised, " What is it?".

" I wanted to thank you, for your alliance; without you this wouldn't be possible, I would still be in Otherworld. You've believed in me even then, your loyalty to me has not faltered... and for that I owe you my life" she told him seriously.

He shook his head, " You owe me nothing" .

Broly then turned to her, moving her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. In a long time that was one of the firsts that he saw her expression soften, like he remembered it. Brushing her hair from her face he watched as her ascension vanished as quickly as it came, her hair black as a raven once more. She seemed confused, and murmured his name, as if trying to get some answers.

" For now all we have to trust is ourselves... in our alliance, its all we have... I will stand by you loyally, if you had traveled with me rather than the namekian this all would not be necessary" he told her, brows narrowing in annoyance.

She shook her head, " I think I owe the namekian a thanks, while I beat his skull into the dirt... if he hadn't betrayed me, I would never have had the balls to retaliate...".

" The Achika I knew from years ago was kind and pure".

" That Achika died years ago! She is never coming back!".

" Well this one I suppose I could deal with..." Broly murmured, his hands caressing her frail shoulders, in oppose to his massive body, slowly, almost seductively. She had only been touched in such a way once in her life, it was not a positive experience, but she did not stop him, nor flinch at his grip, she let him do as he please.

He was not being perverse, perhaps he was lingering on the verge of seduction but why not let him play a little?.

" Can you now? I thought your patience was waning" she mused, turning her head to look at him.

He stared at her a long time, there was nothing but silence, as if there was a rift in the tide. Though once he did look away from her, he took a few steps forward.

" Come, there is much work left to do" he told her, and with that, he leapt from the boulder onto the ground. Achika had a feeling Broly was up to something dastardly, but she followed him anyway, she trusted him, even if his works would lead them both into hell, that wouldn't matter, she knew by the time of her death she would already be welcome with open arms.

" Broly?" Achika called, as she landed on the rubble that was ground surface, she didn't see him, all she saw was flames and corpses, and smog, " Broly!".

Coughing throughout the horrific pollution, when she finally came upon Broly, what drew her to the scene was whimpering, much like a dog's. Instead, she found that Broly had cornered a trembling, terrified child, when she got closer to the scene.

" Don't tell me you're thinking about killing it... just let it free... one so small isn't a threat" Achika tried to reason, seeing as murdering a child in cold blood would be a waste of time, and maybe even a bit barbaric...

" If we let it go our attack would be useless! We would be seen as weak! We must have no mercy, not for anyone" Broly told her, outstretching his arms, but then an idea came to mind, and he dropped his hand, looking to Achika.

He stepped away from her, " You do it" he coldly suggested.

Achika was hesitant a moment; her face was rather blank, yet she did not seem remorseful. Her eyes met the teary eyed child's, then Broly's who seemed intent on spilling blood and being on their way.

" What are you waiting for!" he barked. Just as he yelled at her, he glanced to the sky, sencing an odd energy coming their way, slow yet recognizable, was it an accident? Or was someone coming to inspect their mess and fight back?.

" Do you sense that?" Achika murmured, beginning to feel the presence invade her mind as well.

" Just hurry and be done with it, we must go".

Achika felt the pressure getting underneath her skin. She lifted her palm and allowed the energy to generate larger inside her grip; it took a few moments, and when she was about to fire, but something stopped her right in her tracks; the feeling of an energy closing in on them prickled at her spine, she froze, and turned to look the intruder straight in the eye.

Broly took a few steps forward, wanting to see the intruder, and had a rather protectiveness towards Achika, something she did not like at all.

" Broly! Step back, I can handle myself! I am not your woman! Do not run to my defense!" she detested, yet he ignored her requests.

" Shut up! Something's ahead!" Broly began, and stared into the clearing debris; a strange shadow overcasted the smoke, until the figure slowly came into full view. His tall frame was muscular and stern, he was not backing down, he had green skin, he was cautious, and his expression was very serious, enraged, but also sympathetic, disappointed, even sad at the same time.

" I thought you may have the nerve to show up here" Broly murmured, clenching his fists so hard they cracked.

Achika turned to see the figure standing merely feet from them, the energy in her hand vanished, as her eyes widened in brief shock.

" P-Piccolo....".

" For years.... Piccolo began, gritting his teeth, trying to supress his anger as he spoke, " I knew somehow I would find you again, and this would be our stalmate, I dreaded that day always, for I knew I was at fault for the monster you've become..." he began.

Achika was surprised, she steppped away from the child, and slowly moved closer to Broly, staring at the namekian who had just arrived.

" As soon as I sensed the odd energy I knew it was you..." she murmured with a smirk, " I hope you don't expect a big welcome hug from me" she devilishly commented with a chuckle.

" As much as I do not want to fight you, I cannot allow this treachery, this destruction to occur any longer!" Piccolo bellowed, " I'm asking... no I'm begging you to cease this foolishness.. please... Achika" Piccolo pleaded.

For a moment Achika silenced, her expression softened as she saw the glimmer in his dark eyes, she knew he meant the words coming from him... but then again she trusted him before, and he betrayed her, he failed her.

There was a silence for a long time before anyone said another word.

" As if I would throw away my revenge! I've spent years rotting in Otherworld to plan my escape! And when I did I made a vow to make the world that underestimated me, and kicked me around like a dog pay! And to finally see that smug look on your face, watch you squirm for your life as I kill you!" she spat, infuriated in such a way that Piccolo did not recognize.

She lowered her head, her fists clenched and shaking, and when she looked up again her eyes were cornered with tears, she spat words like a disease at him, he then realized how far her resentment seeped.

" You know, even when I died I was still a fool, I thought.... I thought you would come back for me...".

Piccolo's antennaes dropped as he lowered his eyes in shame, and muffled words in a lower than normal tone, " I'm sorry I didn't" was all he could muster.

" Achika... you still have a chance, to stop all of this now, you can despise me all you like, Kami knows I deserve it, but try and forgive the rest of the world, the saiyans that wronged you" Piccolo tried to plead again.

" Stop? Yes... Piccolo I'll stop... I will cease all of this..." Achika began, smiling a dangerous smile after a long hesitation, one hand behind her back, gathering energy in which she attempted to smite him with, " I will stop when I see you dead!" she screeched, bringing up the golden ball of energy and aiming it at Piccolo, though something pushed her, nearly knocking her off her feet.

Catching her balance once more, Achika watched as the blast demolished a nearby boulder miles away, yet who had pushed her was a very angry Broly, who stared at Piccolo with eyes of hatred and dangerous jealousy.

" He's mine" Broly growled.

Piccolo glanced at Achika then at Broly the saiyan, it was then things started to make sense and come into light, when they hadn't before. He knew now how she managed to return, it was him; he managed to help her escape from Otherworld, he had been by her side the entire time, loyally aiding in the massacres of city and innocent people. It was something that engaged him, but the more he thought about it, something entirely different got him even more hot headed.

Piccolo realized that his feelings for Achika remained, after all these years, even after what she had become, he wanted to save her, even if it meant suffering his punishment. However, she clearly hated him, so much she wanted him dead, he couldn't blame her, she wanted nothing to do with him, now she was courting with a saiyan, none other than Broly!

He joked in their past about her sticking with her own kind, but now as he could see them clearly as mates, the fact that they may or may not have fucked one another made his blood boil! Never in his life would he ever have imagined such a thing, but it was reality.... Achika's voice snapped him back into reality.

" Broly!" she screeched in anger, as if scolding Broly by yelling at him, how dare he push her out of the way! Standing to her feet she noticed the tension between the two warriors, as they took their fighting stances and were about to rip each others' heads off, it was entertaining, but she wanted Piccolo alive... for now.

" Broly! Do what you want but keep him alive! He's mine to finish off you hear me! I'll slaughter you myself if you kill him first!" she called.

Broly chuckled, " Of course Lady Achika!" he called back, then stared at Piccolo, whose fangs were clearly visible.

" You've destroyed your chances you filthy namekian, you should have died with all the others, you cannot have her now, she will be my woman soon enough, and you will be feeding worms, I'll make sure of that" he threatened.

" We will see" Piccolo replied with a smirk.

In a flash of energy and wind impact the two went at each other, lunging like lions to a scrap of meat. Their fighting was brutal, it was more personal than anything like Achika had ever seen, yet she would not get her hands dirty, she would only watch Broly play with Piccolo, like a cat to a mouse...

Soon enough Piccolo would be cornered, and that would be her time to step in and strike.


	4. Chapter 4: Confusion

_Author's Note: This will be a sort of prequel for a sequel; if i get any private messages and enough reviews asking to continue it, I may turn it into a whole entire tale, it all depends on my readers and the fans of this and my previous tale, so keep the reviews and critique coming! That could make the difference between starting a new awaited sequel or ending a far too questionable ending to a previous puzzle?  
_

_

* * *

_

Before Piccolo could realize what was going on around him, he found himself lost in a world of darkness. Everything surrounding him turned as black as an eclipse, an eerie dead silence filled the air; was he dead? Had Broly finished him off? Or worse, did Achika finally sum up the nerve to take him out?

Just then a faint light overcame the area, in the distance, the tiniest glimmer of hope; Piccolo outstretched his hand to reach it in the faintness, and then he heard a familiar whispering, echoing like ripples in the tide.

"Piccolo?".

He tried to reach it, but it seemed like his movements were so slow, in comparison to the fading of the light.

"Piccolo!".

By a shaking of a hand on his shoulder, Piccolo regained consciousness, he had awoken. Slowly he sat up, observing what was around him, he was in a bed, and in the home of the Son family, one he knew well.

Goku stood over him, as did Gohan, both of their eyes were full of concern.

"What on earth happened?" Piccolo asked, flexing his right arm, as he could tell something was wrong.

" You mean you don't remember Piccolo?" asked the naive Gohan.

It was then that the namekian looked to Goku for answers. He seemed to be withdrawing, hesitating, but he gave his friend and comrade a firm glare, he could handle whatever truth was in store for them.

" We sensed the energy... came to check it out, the city was destroyed, people have died Piccolo. When we found you, you were already unconcious, they mustv'e torn your arm right off, good thing it regenerated on its own".

" Another one of my charming quirks..." Piccolo remarked snidely, pondering what Goku had told him, partly angry with himself for not stopping it, and disappointed in his own ability, he thought he would be able to go against Achika, but he could not, he didn't have the heart to fight her.

" What do you want to do?" Goku asked, feeling like he should be doing that much.

The namekian nodded, " I will take responsibility for the deaths on my own shoulders.... but where is Achika?".

Gohan's eyes widened in surprise as did Goku, Piccolo guessed Goku hadn't sensed nor did he see Achika or Broly on the battlefield like he had; he could picture her face so clearly, so sinister, so angry... nothing like he remembered it.

She had the face of a cold monster, not the Achika he once loved...

She had become just what he feared... a Saiyan inside and out.

" I had no idea... she's alive? But how?" Goku began, followed by Piccolo's reassuring nod.

" Well we didn't see her, however we did sense another saiyan energy, one that wasn't hers... it seems she is working with another, which will make things more complicated, one of them we assumed must have ripped off your arm, do you think Vegeta had something to do with it?".

Piccolo shook his head in anger, " It was Broly, he's on Earth here, with her. They are working as... partners...".

" Broly, why does that name sound familiar...".

" Was he not the saiyan that was enslaved by Freiza along with Vegeta?".

Suddenly things clicked for Goku, " That's right".

"But why would they be working together? It doesn't make sense"? Goku questioned allowed, noticing Piccolo's silence only when he saw his friend's fist clenched so tightly the green color nearly drained from his skin.

" Piccolo?" Gohan asked.

Wanting to speak to Piccolo alone, Goku asked Gohan to play outside, something that the boy reluctantly agreed to. Once Gohan had left, Goku glanced back at Piccolo, hoping to get some true answers out of him.

" What is it Piccolo?".

After a long hesitation, Piccolo nearly snapped at Goku, and regretted it later.

" Is it really that hard to figure out you fool!".

Goku went silent, he was surprised by the outburst, but then he began to realize what was making Piccolo so upset, his eyes narrowed in seriousness.

" So they aren't just partners then.... ".

Piccolo nodded grimly.

Goku felt compelled to place a hand upon Piccolo's shoulder, in attempt to be a friend towards him, rather than just an ally, " We have two very strong saiyans to face, and are going to have more deaths on our hands if they aren't stopped.... whether or not she was kind in the past, that isn't the case now... we have to treat them like any other enemy, otherwise we're all doomed, you understand that don't you?"

After a long pause, Piccolo looked to Goku, " I'm not sure if I can fight her, I will have no problem tearing Broly limb from limb... but her..." he began, falling further into mental despair it was almost painful for Goku to see.

"So then... you do still love her... after all of these years..." Goku murmured.

It took Piccolo a long time, but he finally managed a light nod in agreement.

"Unfortunately... it's what I've finally come to realize...".

It was then that Goku knew what he had to do, it would not be fair to ask Piccolo to help fight, not this time. " Then I won't ask for your help, do as you wish; though the Earth would be better off with you on our side, I would understand if you remained neutral... " Goku began, and gave him a grin, telling him to rest up before leaving the room.

Piccolo was left to pace and ponder in his own thoughts and solitude, what a mess to try and sort out.... and yet he had no one to blame for its cause but himself...

---

"Achika?".

The dark brown eyes of a female averted to the right. Achika turned, broken from her trance as she stood atop a large cliff side, overlooking the endless blue skies and cities below. Her hands were already guilty tainted, she couldn't go back now, reality was starting to sink in, this was it.

She looked to her partner, the massive warrior, and saiyan Broly.

Her eyes averted then to the ground, as if ashamed of something, or trying to cover it up.

" You realize we had to flee like dogs!" the man snapped bitterly, slowly getting closer to her, " Why?!".

" You nearly killed him..." she murmured back in a low tone.

" Exactly! I almost had that idiot Piccolo in an early grave! If you hadn't counter ceased my attacks before the rest of those fools came... he would have been finished" Broly told her.

" This isn't your war, as much as you love prodding your way in, this is my fight, stay out of it; I decide where and when the namekian dies" Achika snapped.

"Clearly you couldn't handle it the first time" Broly scoffed.

" Go to hell Broly, don't dare patronize me, the deed will be done, on my terms... not yours" she told him, crossing her arms with a blunt stubbornness that made Broly want to strangle her for a moment.

After the tension and heated argument subsided between the two equally stubborn and silent warriors, Broly's eyes glanced to Achika; he was the first to break, and cool down. Slowly he went to her, and placed his hands over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, in a more gentle, intimate manner; something Achika did not respond to in words, nor did she reject his actions either.

" Now you listen to me, you are my princess, I will follow you to whatever fate, to the depths of hell" Broly told her, eyes so focused.

" What a comforting thought..." she mused with a smirk.

It was then that his expression soured into seriousness, " Answer me this truthfully, do you still have feelings for the namekian?".

Her eyes widened in shock, then flared in rage.

" Ridiculous! How could you ask such a foolish question?!".

" Because it is reasonably valid".

"According to whom?".

" Why else would you stop my killing blow?".

" I've already explained it to you Broly".

" I'm not sure I believe you".

" You've lost your mind".

" Have I? We've worked hard for this Achika, but I cannot move further until I am certain you will not falter now... otherwise it would be a cause in vain" Broly finished.

Achika's fists were clenched, she stared up at Broly with narrowed eyes, glimmering with fresh tears in the corners, he looked to her in shock.

" And what business is it of yours if I did?! Who are you to condemn me to judgment?!" she nearly shouted, body lightly trembling under the stress.

Broly then grew closer, his face nearly inches from hers, stern as stone, he took her arms into his large, strong hands, giving her a sense of stability as he spoke.

" Is it really that unclear?" he asked.

It took Achika a moment, but when she finally pieces together what he was truly implying, she found herself speechless, what could she say?

" We don't have time for this Broly" she murmured after a long pause, closing her eyes in a brief sigh.

He dismissed the rather confrontational yet undeniably tense, intimate or not between them, for he knew she was right. He released his grip upon her, and nodded in agreement, they had a task to complete.

" You don't have to worry about my loyalties... or Piccolo..." Achika told him.

" Are you sure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

" You have been there with me Broly, through it all, through my pain and rebirth.... you have been loyal to me since the day we met, I suppose I should thank you" she murmured, and did something that shocked Broly, he didn't expect it at all.

Achika gently placed a light, brief kiss upon the saiyan's lips, it was wonderful, but cut tragically short.

" In order to finish this, I need you with me, I cannot do it alone....." she murmured, with a softened expression that Broly couldn't decipher as sincerity or sinister manipulation.

Nonetheless he nodded, telling her he would not back down from their plans.

"Good" she mused with a smile, than walked to the cliff's edge, a force emitting around her as she slowly levitated from the ground.

" Should we go?" she asked, looking back at her partner.

Broly grinned a cynical grin and nodded, taking flight into the sky within seconds, after his beloved.

----

Within the Briefs home, at the kitchen table sat two men. One was a grumbling saiyan prince, the other much less an equal, a woman with blue hair stood over the sink with a toddler in her arms, as she washed the dishes.

" You know Vegeta, I can't believe you had a sister your entire life and I had to hear about her from Goku! Bless her passed on soul but I mean really! I think she would have liked to go shopping, or see her nephew Trunks!" the outspoken woman known as Bulma commented.

" Silence woman" Vegeta muttered with a groan of irritation.

Across from him sat the warrior known as Goku, whom wore a serious expression all throughout his arrival; when he walked through that door he knew he had news to relay to Vegeta, though how he would take it? Goku wasn't sure.

In an attempt to get Kakarot from his house and get away from Bulma, Vegeta followed Goku outside to speak in privacy.

" So why did you come Kakarot?" Vegeta asked.

" You may not believe me if I tell you, it's about your sister".

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, " My late sister who tarnished our kins' name? What about her? She's dead".

Goku paused a moment before shaking his head, " Somehow she was either revived by an outside force other than the dragonballs, or she escaped Other World by means of violence... we don't know, but what we do know is she is alive, and here on Earth".

" It seems you've gotten hit a few too many times Kakarot, are you aware of how insane this sounds?" Vegeta mocked.

" This isn't a joke Vegeta! She destroyed an entire city and population! She nearly killed Piccolo and fled the scene when I arrived! I saw her with my own eyes!" Goku defended.

" My sister was a worm, she would never have the nerve to do such a thing" Vegeta spoke, almost shamefully.

" She wasn't alone, she is working with Broly now, whom is a powerful saiyan now judging by the ki levels I sensed" Goku told him.

" So if what you say is true, what would you have me do ?" Vegeta scoffed, crossing his large arms over his chest.

" I haven't forgotten what Achika did when I fought Freiza, I don't want to fight her.... if you could get through to her, or if it comes down to us needing you on the battlefield... I need to know you will be there".

" You're asking me to slay my own sister?".

" The way you speak about her I didn't think you would object" Goku began, " I don't wish to fight her, I would rather you talk some sense into her so we can put this mess behind us!".

" And what makes you think she would ever listen to me?".

" You're her older brother, you're family... whether you like it or not" Goku firmly finished.

Vegeta only scoffed and averted his eyes, as if the words Goku spoke were poison, as if he couldn't be bothered.

" The decision is ultimately yours Vegeta, but I know if she was given the choice she would help you, she was there for you on Namek.... " Goku finished once more, before taking his leave from the home of his rival, taking off into the sky.

Vegeta watched Goku go, gritting his teeth in anger and annoyance, who was that cretin to tell him what to do? Who to be gracious to? He was the prince of all saiyans, who gave Goku the right to be noble and pass out judgments and orders!.

He leaned against the wall of his home, and looked up at the sky.

Achika... his younger sister, the sister he always loathed, the sibling he was taught and raised to despise and be shameful of. They both died years ago, but Achika was the one who passed up her chance at returning to Earth and gave it to Vegeta, after she found he would have a son.

The more he pondered, the more conflicted the prince became, would this battle mean facing his own brief demons?

The thought he shuttered upon, and while he did, a single word escaped his lips.

_"Achika..."._

_----_

" I sense much destruction going on down there..." a Mr Popo commented, looking down upon the endless blue skies from Kami's Lookout, high up in the sky, concern and worry evident upon his face.

" What do you think it is Mr Popo?" asked a short adolescent namekian, who approached the side of the fortress as well.

" You've sensed it too Dende?".

The boy nodded, " It worries me, I'm supposed to be the guardian of the Earth, yet I didn't see this coming" he lowly announced, antennas drooping in shame.

" Do not blame yourself, you still have much to learn".

" Still... the energy seems somewhat familiar... though I can't figure out why" Dende pondered aloud, head filled with confusion and minor self doubt.

" You know it well?" Popo questioned.

" If only Kami were here... his wisdom could guide me through this mess, he would know what to do" Dende muttered.

"Have you spoken to Goku or the others about this?".

Dende shook his head, " I have not, but I may end up having to call upon them soon enough, if things don't get better from here".

"What are you going to do?".

Dende paused for a long time; an entire city had been demolished that much was certain, people were dead, he could sense the destruction from miles away. What puzzled the guardian most, was the energy he sensed in the city was that of a saiyan, he knew that ki well, considering the only live saiyans he knew of were Vegeta, Gohan and Goku, it only left room for more questions.

What in the hell was going on?.

" Mr Popo?" Dende asked.

" Yes Dende?".

" I need you to contact Goku for me, I wish to speak with him about this, maybe he has more information that will give me an idea of what has happened" the namekian responded, and of course his request had been fufilled by Popo not much longer afterwards.


	5. Chapter 5: Family Ties

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, been busy with some things, I update in little bits, check back or alert the story to see what you have missed.

* * *

_

Achika's hollow eyes fell upon the scene of the terrain below them. She and her partner stood upon the brink of an abyss, the tallest point of the rocky cliff side, which ended in roughly a hundred feet, turning into the bustling populated city, crowded with buildings and humans, all innocent….

Except in her eyes, they were all guilty… one way or another…

"I grow bored of these tranquil visits Broly…" Achika commented aloud, regarding to their city slayings; they had fought hard to come this far, why was success taking so long?.

"You lack patience" he told her sternly, "Before we conquer anything, Earth must be the first to fall, and before the planet…. The humans and all being within it must be annihilated".

"It seems like a tediously dull process…".

"World domination usually is my dear" he told her with a grin, causing a light smile to come across her fair face.

" So where do we go from here?".

Her words seemed distant, as she turned to look at him off from the side, with a rather careless, hollow expression. She wanted revenge, she had a thirst for blood, and yet... at the same time, it seemed at times apart of her was entirely deadened by past betrayal and malcontent. Broly stared at her for a long time, his height and body mass incredibly larger than her own; she now looked to him for leadership, as she was once the one to have full independence...

No one could tell that Achika what to do, or what path to steer her in...

Broly was torn, between his adoration for this woman, and the task presented upon his by his father. The truth was, that at first he traveled to Namek to gather information in regards to extracting his own revenge on King Vegeta, by means of killing his only son! He and his father had planned to wreack the same shame on that cretin that they had felt, when they were left for dead like dogs. However, when Broly first encountered Achika everything changed...

Since then, by orders from his father he has stayed by Achika, and partly because he wanted to be by her side. His orders were to kill them both, Prince Vegeta and the forgotten Princess and rightful heir, Achika. For the past year or so, it could be argued that he has been somewhat of a scapegoat...

All he had to do was find the perfect time to strike... he knew he had to wait... until Vegeta was nearby, he had to have the two of them together...

Though he never expected to fall for the saiyan princess.... those emotions in the hollow soul he once thought would ever be capable of anything, caused so much inner turmoil and tension, so much change...

Would he follow through with his plans and betray her trust just as Piccolo had all those years ago? Or would he break off ties with his deranged father and abort the mission?

Only time would tell....

His large hand moved toward the sheathed dagger he kept hidden underneath his clothing, he was in a moment lost in silence and thought, it was something Achika had taken notice to, and called out his name.

" Broly? What is it?".

When his eyes met hers once more, those dark vunerable eyes, everything went to a blur, and he shook his head, murmuring " Nothing" in not much louder than a whisper.

"So then what do we do?".

" We move forward, for now it is all we can do" Broly sternly announced, and without warning, took off into the sky. Achika was utterly confused, and called after him, but got no response, with that she hurriedly tried to catch up with him , taking flight shortly after he did.

He was all she had, Achika was too blinded by her long awaited newly formed trust in her kin member, that she was not aware of his distress or inner turmoil...

The struggle, that could ultimately lead to her demise...

---

Dende stood upon the solid surface of Kami's Lookout, his dark eyes held uncertainty and a hint of worry that he struggled to mask. Averting his eyes from the ground, he saw a familiar face approach him alongside Mr Popo, a face that gave him some kind of relief, within all of this darkness slowly shrouding the earth.

"Goku, I'm glad you're here" the young namekian guardian greeted, also as a friend.

" Well I couldn't turn down a request from you" Goku replied with a grin, " I'm assuming you've sensed the dark energy and violence?".

Dende nodded, " I have... it sickens me to know I can do nothing about it, I'm supposed to be guarding this Earth, do you know who is behind this?".

Recalling back into his memories of many years previous when Dende was only a child, his response was choked, and bittersweet, for he knew of the close bond he once shared with the female saiyan, once as much of a hero as he, turned to be a monster.

Goku's eyes narrowed, " I do, but you will not like what I'm about to say to you".

" I can handle it" Dende sternly replied, " Is it someone we already know?".

Goku paused a moment, " It seems Achika has had her life restored, she's alive, and wreacking havoc on earth alongside Broly, another saiyan".

Dende knew from his encounter with Piccolo, the possiblity that she was alive was stilll in the air, but that did not ease the shock evident in his soul and demeanor, nor did it soothe the sting of pain, knowing the two of them were on opposing sides.

However, his love and memory for his old friend surpassed his judgment and morals for the time being.

He shook his head, " You must be mistaken, it couldn't have been, I won't believe it!".

Goku's eyes narrowed, he knew convincing Dende would have been a difficult task, but they didn't have time for sentimentals or for him to beat around the bush, things had to get serious fast.

" Dende, there's something I need to show you" Goku told him.

The namekian boy could only look up at the warrior without having a chance to say a word. Goku had teleported the two of them into the remains of a neighboring part of the city, riddled with ash and debris, it was in total remnants of destruction.

Dende's eyes widened in terror, " Why did you do this Goku?" he asked, but when he looked back, Goku was gone. After taking a harder glance, he saw him a few feet away, hovered over something. The curiosity got the best of the boy, and he went to Goku's side, to see what he was so solemn about, but unexpectingly, the sight he had been faced with made his heart sink in a new feeling of horror and terror, and anger.

It was the body of a small child, bloodied and unmoving, and if that wasn't enough to disturb them, in the distance rested many other scattered corpses, seemingly decorating the cement for as the long as the eyes could see.

" Do you see now Dende? This is why she needs to be stopped!" Goku sternly boasted.

Dende's head was lowered, his fists clenched, body trembling in anger, " Are you sure... it was her?" he asked, in muffled murmurs.

" Yes" Goku replied, " Piccolo witnessed the acts with his own eyes, as he tried to stop her".

"And she didn't listen to reason? Not even from him?".

" I'm afraid not, I'm sorry Dende, I wish there could have been an easier way" Goku apologetically told the adolescent.

There was a long pause before Dende's head lifted to reveal a more hollow expression, before he spoke again.

" I see... so then we have no choice, she has to be stopped" the namekian began.

Goku nodded, " If we allow this to continue, I'm afraid even more lives will be taken".

" Then I suppose we don't have a choice".

A strange silence fell over the two, before Dende spoke up again.

" I just have one request..." Dende murmured.

" Anything" Goku replied.

" I want to see her..." he began, and raised his head to look at the taller man, his expression and tone as serious as ever, " Before you kill her...".

Goku nodded, feeling empathy as he saw the sorrow attempting to be hid by the boy.

" You're doing the right thing here kid".

" It sure doesn't feel like it".

" Perhaps she may listen to reason after all...once she sees you" Goku stated, trying to soften the blow.

" Perhaps...".

From there the two bid their farewells; Dende watched Goku vanish into the sky, being engulfed in his own inner turmoil and momentary daydream. He looked up at the clouds, sensing a distress, his heart sank.

Achika's once smiling face came into his memory.

" Achika-chan..." he murmured, " What has happened to you?".

---

Whilst he was in recovery, Piccolo's mind circled around thoughts of her. He wondered what chaos she had furthered, if she was alive, what her next plan of action was... and while he knew her decisions had been wrong, though he hated it, he couldn't help but feel concern, he wanted her to live... to be alright.

Letting a groan of anger and frustration escape his lips, his fist met the nearest hard surface in a painfully loud crashing sound.

Trickles of lavender blood seeped from in between his throbbing fingers, his mind would have no rest he realized.

Slowly standing to his feet, ignoring the pain ebbing at his internal organs. He staggered for a few steps, trying to find common ground, and be able to move and function as normally as possible. As he made his way in leaving the Son house, Chi Chi was the first to argue with him, scold him like a child; however, he gave her a serious glare that made her uneasy for sure, and she went silent.

He didn't have a choice, he knew he had to find Achika. He had to set things right, he could no longer sit on the sidelines and be neutral in all of this, denying the fact that this was all the cause of his actions.

He didn't want Achika to have to pay again, or the Earth itself.

If he had let the Earth crumble while knowing its demise was something he had apart of, something he was so intricately tied into, he couldn't live with himself; that torture alone would make him wish for death.

Before he took off to leave, he was stopped by the voice of Gohan, who stopped him in his tracks.

" Where are you going! You haven't healed yet!" the boy reminded him, eyes full of concern.

" It's something I have to do kid, I already made up my mind" Piccolo sternly replied.

Gohan lowered his head, and paused a moment before raising it again, and speaking, " Please be careful?".

A small smile came to the namekian's lips, " You got it".

It didn't matter if an unfriendly death awaited him in his journey, he had to try for Gohan... the people that inhabited the Earth and for Achika... his last response may be the last chance to save her...

He took off into the sky in a blink of an eye, with a speed that surprised even Gohan. The boy watched as the figure of his friend got smaller and smaller, as he furthered into the endless blue sky, until it was nothing more than a dot in the sky, then nothing but clouds.

He murmured the namekian's name, knowing something bad was going to happen... it was a gut feeling he couldn't shake...

---

Achika had wandered away from Broly for the moment; she wanted to be alone. Even though he was her partner in all of this, she sometimes felt the need to break away from his controlling demeanor. She stood in her own thought, pondering their next plan of action, as she knew she would be dead before Broly turned out to be the one to call all the shots.

Everything was so calm and tranquil, so much so, that she didn't sense the blast of energy heading straight for her before it was too late.

She was hit, in an explosion of light and smoke, it soon ended, and Achika staggered to her feet. Most of it she was able to block, and was left with only in minor injuries, now she was on her guard, looking around for the culprit.

Though who approached her was someone she didn't expect at all.

" I cannot allow this to continue.... you are my sister, but I have a woman and son to think about, I will not let their lives be sacrificed by allowing your rampage... step down now or I will be forced to end your life... " the harsh voice of a dark haired man spoke, as he stopped only a few feet from her.

Her eyes narrowed, " As I do not wish to fight you Vegeta...".

A grin came to his face, " Are you certain?".

" Maybe a little" she replied with a smirk, " What is your son's name?".

" My son, your nephew's name is Trunks, he's nearly two" Vegeta told her.

" I think I would have liked him".

Vegeta got into a fighting stance, having a feeling that this light conversation would end in a fight.

" Do you wish to back down? It would be a wise choice Achika".

" You think you can beat me so easily is that it?!".

" You won't win" Vegeta sternly replied.

If Achika was ever to back down, that reply totally demolished all doubts.

" This is not about power... this is about my revenge! For saving this Earth once before I was handed betrayel and death! No more will I be doubted, those who have in the past will regret ever crossing me! No one will live to apologize!" she bellowed back.

His eyes narrowed, " You're not the sibling I remember...".

" Why?! Because you can't kick me around anymore like a dog? You told me when we were both in Otherworld, that you would free me! That we were partners, I can't believe I fell for it, I actually thought we were becoming equals..." she mused, with a hollow, pained expression.

" I had to find a way to live again, I could not leave my woman or son...".

" But you left me behind, to rot in Otherworld... you gave into your selfish desire, I should have known" she finished with a chuckle.

"You're right; and I'm.... sorry for that" Vegeta mused, as if it was physically painful to utter the words, never before had he apologized to anyone, nor did he ever think he had the need to, but now for one of the first times in his life, he actually felt guilt over his past decisions.

" So you've made your choice..." Vegeta grimly began.

" I guess so".

" So be it".

In what seemed like a split second, Vegeta turned into the Super Saiyan prince he was foretold as; the wind around him picked up as a brilliant golden aura engulfed him, turning his hair and eye color into something fierce; he smirked, thinking this spar would not take long, his sister was strong, yet she was only partly saiyan, she did not have full blood like he, he was superior, she was just a half breed, never to be worthy of a super saiyan's power...

That's where he was wrong...

Achika had taken a moment to take in her brother's power, before doing something miraculous; she soon gathered her ki and matched his energy, collecting a cloud of debris and golden spurts of energy around her; when the dust cleared, Vegeta eyes widened in shock, as he could not believe what he saw, it had to be a nightmare.

Her once raven hair had freed itself from its ponytail, it was free flowing, long and jetting out in different directions, golden in color, her once dark eyes a fierce green, tiny jolts of electricity moving around her, in sync with the energy, as she levitated only a few inches above ground.

The first female Super Saiyan ever to be in existence, a title Vegeta and his kin thought to be blasphemous, just a myth. Though, the fact that his own sister had become equaled with him in strength, for the first time in each of their lives, it was even more painful for the proud prince, it was like a firm punch to his gut.

Never before would he have thought seeing her in such a way would make him so...uneasy.

" I-impossible... how did you---?" he stammered.

She just stared at him with triumphant yet cold eyes, " Surprised to see me like this? Are you afraid? I'm an equal now, and that must make your blood boil to no end" she mused, smiling as if she almost enjoyed it, relishing this moment in which she had some sort of control over her arrogant brother.

" You little bitch-- " he growled lowly, clenching his fists.

" Now will you fight me? Or must I go pay a visit to your wife and son in order to get a movement out of you?" she asked, cynically, with a strange glint of terror and violence in her eyes, it was as if in that moment, the power had gone to her head, as if her death had caused her to completely lose her mind.

"You touch one hair on my son's head and I swear!---" Vegeta bellowed.

" Or you'll what? If you're so tough Almighty Prince Vegeta then stop me! Show me what power your boasting is worth!" she snapped back, putting her hand behind her head, as if she was bored with him already.

"You asked for it" he warned with a grin.

She smiled snidely in return, " I wouldn't expect anything but your best".

" You will lose Achika, that's a promise; you can claim surrender now and save yourself the trouble" the prince offered, thinking insulting her with defeat was being the most generous he could be in such a situation.

" I'll take my chances Brother" she replied.

In a flash, the two lunged at one another, Vegeta seeming to be getting closer by the second, outstretched his hand to throw an energy blast towards Achika; though what he didn't expect was when the two met each other, she managed to take hold of his arm, and squeeze it in place, so that it nearly turned blue, and forced the energy to vanish from his palm, he shook, trying to free herself from her grip, but Achika stood her ground, proving to be more formidable than Vegeta expected.

Though Vegeta saw an opening, and he went for it, taking her by her hair, forcing an arm around her neck, to keep her restrained, before throwing her into a nearby cliffside, where she left a massive crater, and became apart of the boulders; as Vegeta approached in mid air, she opened her eyes, and seemed to be in pain but shook it off, moving away from the cliff to resume battle.

"Had enough?" he asked.

" Not even close" she replied, wiping a trickle of blood from her chin.

Achika was the first to lunge at Vegeta next, the two of them exchanging rapid punches and kicks to the jaw, gut and skull; it seemed to be an endless assault of pain and blood, though it was Achika who had the finishing blow; she sent a high kick to Vegeta's skull, watching as he fell back to the ground. She landed, walking closer to his twitching body, as the debris and dust cleared.

The prince staggered to sit up, " Not bad" he mused.

" And I'm not even finished yet" she replied, taking up her hand, gathering a large sphere of energy into it, planning to destroy Vegeta in his most vunerable state. The prince of course refused to give up, and planned a counter attack on his sibling, yet his actions were unecessary, as Achika was thrown back by a larger energy blast, caused by an unknown force.

Vegeta looked around, as he sensed a strong presence prick into his mind, invading it like a unwelcome sting.

Achika slowly stood, with shaky legs she staggered to her feet, her entire body shaking, as she held one of her limp arms, that she had fallen on the wrong way, and nearly snapped in the process.

" What the hell was that?!" she called out, " Show yourself"!, as she looked around, feeling this intruder's strength as well, invading on her victory, he would be sure to be punished with death and much suffering.

" Over there!".

Achika's eyes averted a few feet away from the sparring area. There stood a figure, whom slowly approached the area, he wore a hollow expression on his face, crimson eyes hard as stone. His white robes caught the wind, the golden emblems on his hat and belt gleaming in the sunlight, a halo above his head.

"What the hell is that green skinned freak! One of your followers!?" bellowed Vegeta, readying an attack.

Achika's eyes widened, it was the last person she would ever expect to see, she raised her hand, as a signal for Vegeta to cease his fire and defenses.

The stranger stared at her with such eyes, and she knew this meeting would most likely not end well, he did not come back to chat up about old times...

" Pikkon..." she held her breath, thinking that if she did so enough, she would wake up from a bad dream, she did not wish such a violent confrontation to start with him, she did not wish to fight Pikkon, he was the only one who had been loyal and true to her throughout.

However, knowing him, he did not agree with her most recent plans, or complete change of morality, though none of that mattered anymore.

They would have to fight, and only one of them would win, and despite her respect for him, Achika did not plan to lose this one, or let old emotions get in the way of her goal.


	6. Chapter 6: Repopulation

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, been busy with some things, I update in little bits, check back or alert the story to see what you have missed.

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It seemed like nothing else mattered, like the scenery and people, even the world vanished around them, ebbing away like liquid, leaving herself and the green skinned man alone, facing one another in a stalemate. Broly was with her, that she had confirmed with a gaze in his direction; he was tense, yet she did not want him to rush into attack mode just yet.

Despite her anger and rage, she was not so eager to destroy or even fight Pikkon...

For he was the one who remained true to her from the very end, he was the only one who had never betrayed her, and for that he held a special sense of mercy within her, above all others she would spare the dead warrior in her reign of chaos.

As the estranged silence drifted from them, Achika was the first to speak up, in a low, almost emotionless tone.

"Why did you come here?".

As the warrior levitated towards the ground, he spoke in small, yet stern words.

" I kept my promise Achika.... where were you when it was your time to do the same?".

Her eyes narrowed, as she was clearly becoming frustrated, how dare he patronize her!

" That was years ago, things have changed, yet I do not wish to fight you, I will do what I must to accomplish what I started".

" Ending the namekian's life will not ease your pain..." he tried to reason.

Her fists involuntary clenched briefly, " Shut up! You know nothing of what I have suffered!" she snapped back.

" I think I have an idea... you chose Piccolo, and he betrayed you in the cruelest way...".

" How would you know anything of the sort?! You're a dead man!" she spat, clearly going for a desperate low blow, to shut Pikkon up, or even better make him leave.

" I felt similar pain, when you chose Piccolo as a partner... you're right, I didn't know a damn thing about friendship or love, that was until I met you" he confessed, with a grin.

Achika was surprised by his words, she did not move a muscle or say a word after that; she just stood as Pikkon advanced towards her, trying to reach out to her, as he could not bear to see once such a valiant soul as hers be vanquished in hell. Slowly, he put a hand to her shoulder, and let go of all the resentment he felt, and the feelings of affection that had gone unspoken for so many years.

" End this now Achika... come with me to Nakor... there you will have peace...".

" And what?! You?" she asked, raising a brow, turning her head back to look at him.

" If that is what you truly want, you could have all of me; I would make certain that you would never be hurt again" he spoke, a hint of seriousness and tense anger brewing as he spoke the last few words.

" So you'll protect me?".

Pikkon nodded.

She rolled her eyes, " In case you haven't noticed, I don't need it".

"You wouldn't be doing this if you were not vulnerable beyond repair.... come" he cooed, outstretching his hand to her, and what bothered the male saiyan most, was that Achika hesitated upon the thought, yet she didn't say anything.

She just stared at the green skinned man with saddened eyes.

"You dare lay a hand on Lady Achika!" Broly bellowed from nearby, keeping a watchful eye over the woman, he did not trust or like this stranger, nor did he particularly like the fact that Achika was somewhat merciless towards him.

Pikkon turned and gave Broly a hard gaze, " So it seems this madness all started with you" he began, starting to removing his heavy white robes and armor to reveal a simple blue shirt. He was readying for combat, as was Broly, she could see it in their eyes, and it was something she was not certain who the winner would be.

" Enough of this!" she spoke up, but the two mens' eyes were locked upon one another, like a predator upon its prey.

A smirk came across Pikkon's face, " So then you must be her dog... you must be Broly the saiyan" he began.

" That's right, and you are a pest that needs to be exterminated; she is not on your side anymore!".

" Don't speak for me swine!" Achika snapped in retaliation, though it was not a motive she entirely refused either.

"Is that so? Is that why you are so desperate to keep her by your side? Is every man that crosses her path a threat or are you just insecure?".

"No... just you, you wont be wearing a halo by the time I'm through" Broly threatened with a growl, gathering his ki in an overwhelming surge of aura.

Pikkon's eyes narrowed, and he replied in a deathly low tone, " Achika will be coming with me, that is for certain".

" So I'm assuming you don't know the plan?" Broly asked, with a cynical smirk, as if he had hidden a dark truth all along, and Pikkon had gotten the vibe that it was something serious, though before he could ask, a voice in the distance, growing closer had spoken up for him.

" What plan?" asked a low tone, and a green skinned man stepped forward, alike Pikkon yet different, he was strong and seemed fiercely determined, he was a namekian, one of the strongest warriors on the planet.

Upon seeing this newcomer, Pikkon's eyes burned with a fiery anger and jealousy, knowing he would complicate his plans, and once again be the 'hero' to Achika's plight, leaving him in the dust.

"Ah! you've returned, so I suppose you didn't learn your lesson the last time I tore your arm off!" Broly announced with a sick sense of glee.

Achika glanced to see another figure from her past, and when their eyes met, they stared at each other for some time, yet neither expression wavered, neither saying a word.

"Let the King's daughter speak for herself!" Piccolo spoke up after a few moments, wanting to hear the words from her, and not by that lying, discrace of a man known as Broly.

Achika hesitantly glanced to Broly, who gave her a certain stare, and she paused another moment, before deciding to speak aloud, moving closer to her saiyan comrade and partner as she did so.

" Along with seeking my revenge... Broly and I have decided to take it upon ourselves to once again repopulate the Earth with a new saiyan breed, one with the best of both bloodlines...".

" You mean..." Piccolo murmured in disbelief, realizing what she had meant, as was Pikkon equally shocked.

She nodded, and Broly put a strong arm around her, something she would have to reprimand him for later.

" That's right insects, you're looking at my mate" Broly finished in a cocky manner, revealing a toothy, obnoxious grin, as he had won some great prize, that his ego was greatly pampered from.

" That's insane! I don't believe it" Pikkon snapped.

Piccolo took a few steps forward, " Why... Achika?" he asked, not believing that such an idea would come from her, nonetheless that she would even agree to such a thing!

" It's quite simple; the Saiyan race needs to be rejuvenated, with my blood, and I will finally be on top, I will have power and a kin to raise up with that power, so no one would challenge me; Broly is strong, he could give me needs that neither of you could" she coldly responded, as if she was showing off a fancy bracelet.

" So rut with a psychopath! Great idea!" Piccolo sarcastically remarked.

It was then that Achika's eyes looked up and down Piccolo's form, though the idea hadn't been set in stone, this had been the perfect opportunity to shove a harsh truth in his face, and make him feel the same humiliation that she felt when he killed her, and she commented without holding back a thing.

" Saiyans are highly sexual beings... from what I understand namekians are technically 'genderless' where it counts... Broly is perfectly capable of giving me what I need" she responded, caressing the warrior's massive arm.

Piccolo allowed her words to hit him like a blow hard enough to shatter his ribs; he groaned in disgust at the thought, and couldn't help but glare at that smug bastard Broly, why would she subject herself to such a thing?.

" You did this" Pikkon spoke up, looking in Piccolo's direction, " Do not act surprised".

Piccolo was about to lunge at Pikkon, until the dead warrior spoke up again.

"We both have similar motives here, we would only be wasting the time by sparring, as much as I would take great pleasure in it".

As much as he loathed Pikkon, the namekian could not deny that he was right, and stood his ground.

Without much time to think on it further, Achika descended from the hillside where she stood with Broly, to face the two men straight on; when she stood only about a foot from each of them, she realized that had been the closest she had been to the two of them, in such a long time, it seemed like an all too familiar nightmare all over again.

"I will not back down, if that is what you expect of me" she bluntly stated.

" I do not expect it of you, but I cannot allow this to progress any further" Pikkon began.

" I see; so its clear where we stand".

"Achika, I will fight you; I think its something I've long earned the privilege for, don't you?" he spoke up with a smirk.

That was the first time either of the men saw a remote smile cross her lips.

Piccolo was about to power up, until Pikkon stepped forward.

" You will not fight, I will; you've done enough damage already Namek" Pikkon told him sternly, sending an icy glare his way; wanting not to start a war with Pikkon, for he had other things to worry about, for now he allowed him to fight the saiyaness in his stead.

" You know Pikkon, I've never really had a true chance to fight with you, this should be interesting" Achika mused, placing her hands over her chest.

" Hopefully it will be enough to keep you on your toes" he replied.

" I think you will keep me entertained, you were one of the strongest fighters I've ever seen".

Pikkon couldn't help but smile, for in that moment he saw a shred of purity and joy come forth from that awful exterior she had created, it was like in that moment, the former Achika was standing right before him.

However he had to face reality; due to her, Earth was in grave danger, he had to make a choice, sacrifice the Earth, or his love for her...

He could not have both, that was something he had realized before he had decided to leave Nakor and travel to Earth.

Achika put one foot in front of her, gathering her ki to such an immense level it had taken on a physical, visible form of immense energy, a gesture Pikkon mimicked, knowing this fight was inevitable, and he would be the one to throw the first punch.

He did not have the heart to kill her, but he also knew if he went easy on her, that would be as equivalent to a signed death sentence.

Pikkon lunged out at Achika, with such an increased speed, it caught the female off guard; he threw the first punch, something she barely managed to block, but nearly broke her hand in the process. She had not seen anyone with such speed, perhaps in her entire life; with that she became a bit uneasy, knowing Pikkon had one thing on his side, something to his advantage.

As much as she was enjoying the spar, she knew she had to sever whatever advantages he had, and place the turn of the battle in her favor.

Piccolo could only watch from below, helpless as the two people above least expected to turn on each other were involved in a spar that was getting more intense and violent by the minute. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit jealous, for his resentment towards Pikkon never vanished, and yet, he wanted to be the one to fight her, and try to help her; what if Pikkon had failed? Their chance would be gone. Not only that, but if he could not have Achika he could understand and accept it, but in no way did he want her in the arms of the undead warrior either!

The Achika he once knew would never raise a hand in combat towards anyone she held dear, especially Pikkon, whom from what he knew, were on good terms.

The lightning fast exchanges of punches and kicks in mid air seemed to last for hours. Though Achika had tried, in her current state she could not match Pikkon's speed, and as she was receiving most of the brunt force, in his last attack, she was sent into a nearby cliff, the impact nearly putting a halfway crater into its core.

As the smoke cleared, Pikkon lowered to the ground; he had the confidence of winning on his side, and assumed this was the end of it all.

"Had enough Achika?" he called, grinning as he heard no reply.

Little did he know, Achika had plans of her own. Without even giving him the time to sense her energy, she appeared through the smoke, coming right for him, but this time her energy had skyrocketed to an unbelievable level, a golden aura had surrounded her, her dark eyes now fiercely green, hair in spurts of golden tufts; she had become something Pikkon had only heard of in legend, the extinct Super Saiyan race.

In comparing energies, Pikkon became nervous, and received a wide kick to the skull, leaving him to skid to the ground with an agonizing groan.

He staggered to stand as he watched the silhouette of her form come closer to him; hovering over him he saw the smirk playing at her lips.

" I suppose I should ask you the same question now..." she murmured tauntingly.

As Achika motioned towards Pikkon to give the finishing blow, a new energy had infiltrated their senses. Stepping towards Achika, putting a hand upon her shoulder was Broly, in full super saiyan form. His stern eyes overlooked Pikkon's form, one he could easily break in two.

" You could handle possibly one super saiyan, but how about two?" he asked in a deathly low tone, gaze shifting from Pikkon to Piccolo.

At seeing Broly's newly revealed strength, Piccolo's eyes widened, " T-that can't be... such power its impossible!" he spoke in a shaken tone.

Pikkon's eyes narrowed in confrontation, as he struggled to his feet.

There was a pause, both Pikkon and Piccolo, fighting alongside could probably take on Achika in full saiyan form, but now with a super saiyan Broly added into the mix, whom looked extremely hostile at the moment, both men knew they could not defeat them both; as hard as it was for Piccolo to swallow his pride, it was a fact he had known well. As Pikkon stood, he weighed out the options in his mind; he knew he was outnumbered at this point, though he did not want to stand by and watch Achika leave with him either, he had a bad feeling, that Broly had an alternative motive, that he was not as truly loyal to Achika as he had portrayed.

Neither fighter said a word to counter Broly's uproar.

The male let out a hearty chuckle, a triumphant grin on his face, " Just as I thought... cowardly swines" he hissed, spitting at the ground before him.

As he let go of his super saiyan form, he beckoned Achika to him, who only could stare at the gazes given by both Pikkon and Piccolo.

" You don't have to follow him... he will betray you Achika" Pikkon warned her.

Her eyes narrowed in irritation as she shook her head," No, Broly has always been there... where were you Pikkon?" she mused, almost hollowly.

She followed after Broly, the two of them combining energies into one massive spirit orb, sending fire and destruction to the next nearby sign of civilization; ashes rose up into the air, echoes of screams could be heard in the distance, and all the two saiyans could do was laugh.

Pikkon could not believe what he was seeing, yet Piccolo had witnessed it firsthand before...

Overcome with shock, rage soon replaced that.

" So we have no choice then, we've tried this approach twice..." Piccolo began.

" So now what?" Pikkon asked.

" Simple; Total war" Piccolo grimly replied.


	7. Chapter 7: The lost soul

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, been busy with some things, I update in little bits, check back or alert the story to see what you have missed. This is the first half of this chapter, the second half I will install shortly, so please check back and do not think this is it! There will be more coming!  


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Pikkon's gaze toward Piccolo turned into a harsh, nearly disgusted stare.

" So you're willing to turn on her that easily?".

" You said it yourself, we don't have a choice here" Piccolo responded blankly.

Pikkon scoffed.

" What do you find so amusing?" Piccolo asked, averting his eyes with a growing glimmer of anger and irritation.

" I always knew you would be weak..." Pikkon finished.

" What was that?" Piccolo hissed.

" Years ago a rather remarkable woman had loved you, something most take for granted; despite your flaws she stood by you, and you, caught with your tail between your legs killed her; now you won't even try to save her when her madness is of your making? Pathetic" Pikkon told him, without a stammer or hesitation; he was always keen on speaking his mind to the namekian whom he was never truly fond of.

As much as he wanted to strangle Pikkon, Piccolo knew it was to no avail, that would not help Achika, nor soothe his torment; clenching his fists almost to the point of drawing blood, he hesitated a few moments before letting out a heavy sigh, then speaking in a lower tone than usual.

" You're right, I cannot save her".

Pikkon grimaced as he looked to Piccolo, as if an awful stench filled the air; " You could save her... you may be the only one who can... but you're too busy wallowing in your own self pity to even try" he finished, preparing to take off into the sky.

" Where are you going?" Piccolo asked.

" I'm assuming she is off to wreak destruction on another city; Goku may step in, though by the time he realizes something is wrong it may be too late, I'm going to find her".

" That's a suicide wish".

Pikkon shook his head, " Unlike you Namek, I will not give up on her, not until the very end" he finally replied, before taking off full speed into the air, flying faster than lightning, and Piccolo only watched as he left.

Broly did not wish to harm Achika, that was made evident since the moment he had laid eyes on her. However, the mission forged with his father had been set in stone for years, they knew if faltering on his part occurred now, that would be their downfall, and the years of planning and preparing would be in utter vain.

Prince Vegeta Broly would have thought would make a better candidate for their uprising; that was until his father Parugus witnessed Achika's power firsthand; when he first met her as a child, he sensed a hidden energy, faint, but intense enough to make him realize that one day she would surpass her brother and father, if given the motivation.

This was not about spiting King Vegeta by taking one of his child's lives, for if that was the case, Achika would not be missed; the harsh truth was she was the shunned princess, to the King, she was nothing more than a nuisance.

Their plans ran much deeper than spilling blood; Paragus wanted to use Achika as a tool to use against Prince Vegeta, his father's revenge was to be exacted upon the Prince, but since Paragus had a loathing for anyone stemmed from the awful Saiyan King, he would most likely want Achika dead as well, as soon as she was no longer deemed necessary.

It didn't seem right, Broly had been conflicted, torn for months, between his loyalty to his father, hatred of Vegeta, and his love for Achika.

He wasn't sure if he could truly choose between the two; he could kill the woman he loved to please his father, or go against Paragus entirely, all for a slight chance that Achika may feel the same way.

For even though she refused to speak of it, she still looked at the filthy namekian the same way she did before she died; she still loved him, it was evident if you looked hard enough past the dominant hatred.

He continued to ponder these thoughts, very carefully and intensely, so much so that his partner began to notice. She called his name a few times, before he was finally able to acknowledge her presence and snap back from his momentary loss of reality.

" What is it?" Achika asked, standing over him with concerned eyes.

After a pause he choked back on the words he wished so badly to confess and shook his head, " It's nothing". He was quiet from there on out, and she decided to prod a little, when it came to Broly, she was always one step ahead of him.

Lowering herself to squat on her knees, to make the two of them eye level, she smirked and cocked her head to one side, " How is it that every time we face Piccolo or Pikkon you get all bent out of shape after?" she asked.

For a few moments, Broly decided not to answer, until Achika's hard stare caused him to break, " It isn't like any enemy Achika... they are both personally involved" he told her, almost hesitantly, he wasn't sure if blind rage or denial would come first.

Instead of lashing out like he had grown to expect, she was rather calm, and shook her head. Briefly, she outstretched her hand to caress the side of Broly's face, only for a moment, and spoke in a reassuring tone.

" Broly... you've been the only person I can trust since my return, you haven't failed me where so others before have; I will not abandon you or our mission" she told him, speaking almost affectionately of their bond and partnership.

It was true, Broly was jealous of the namekian foolish as it was, he was an alien from outer space with not even the correct genitalia for Kami's sake! Yet he had something, there was something about him that made Lady Achika swoon, after all these years... she didn't have to say a word for him to know, the evidence was there. Piccolo had a power over her, a power that he craved...

He wanted nothing more than for his partner to love him above all else, but he still knew her heart, though corrupt, still longed for another.

He stared into her dark orbs and saw through her malice and bitterness, through her rage... he saw traces of the lonely little girl consumed with pain... something that would probably never leave her. He could only leave a small crack in his strong, serious jaw to reveal a light smile in return, as he murmured her name, in that moment he actually felt physically sick about the alternative plans coming their way.

Broly almost felt inferior to him in a way; she was one of the strongest women he had ever seen, her trust in him was unyielding, and he had the nerve to devise a plan to end her life, betray her just as she had been a long time ago.

"It's amazing how you have such trust in me..." he murmured, and he was not surprised when her gaze bore confusion.

"After what? I died...? I've moved on Broly, I'm no longer shackled to the Otherworld" she told him calmly.

She watched as he took her delicate pale hand, tiny in comparison to his own, and laid a gentle kiss upon it; as he did so a fire ignited within her skin, it was something startling, and unlike anything she had ever felt before... Well only once before...

_The night on Nakor... when Piccolo kissed her..._

" I would expect such strength from you... you haven't faltered once... for that our mission shall be a success" he began, pulling her into a hearty embrace, one that lasted for quite a long time; he was pleased to find after a few moments, she returned the gesture, by wrapping her arms around him, taking in the scent of his skin and hair.

" Perhaps it is time you stopped trying to keep your guard up... thinking you need to have the brutality of a man in order to survive... and allow yourself to be the woman than you are..." he told her, and his words hit Achika hard, for she knew he was right.

" Being a man gives you automatic respect..." she teased, in a low whisper.

" Not from me" he replied.

She sighed softly, " Perhaps I should stop trying to pretend I am something that I'm clearly not".

She was conflicted, he sensed it within her very core, and all he could do was hold her tighter.

" This mission... is not everything you know... forget the life you once had... not right away, but in time... if you could love me like you had the namekian... I would put everything behind me... and abandon all aspects of our plans" he told her, in a shaken tone, as if he was at war with himself, while trying to form the words.

It was true, Broly the strong handsome Saiyan would have been a good mate for her, their kinship was vital, she could have nothing with a genderless being who did not even know love or a shred of affection! It would be the wise thing for her to do, to accept his love and in time, hope to return those feelings, yet for now, she knew her heart wasn't in the right place... it wouldn't be fair to him, or herself to participate in such a charade.

After a moment of hesitation, Achika slowly pulled away from Broly's grip, and then she slowly felt herself regretting leaving his warmth, and his affection, but it was something she knew she had to do. She put a finger gently to his lips, to cease his jumbled words, and could only smile at him, leaving Broly confused, as she shook her head at him briefly.

" You know, there was a time in my life when all I wanted was for a man to love me... but now it seems my only key to salvation, the only thing I truly desire is peace..." she began, slowly starting to walk away from him, towards the hillside's edge, " And I feel the only way I'm going to get peace is by making sure humanity suffers" she murmured the last sentence in a darker tone.

" It may not ease your pain Achika... you've been a conflicted soul for far too long, why not just let it all go?" he wondered aloud, almost screaming at her, for he was helpless to understand her reasoning.

She wanted war, but her ambitions were nothing like his own, or that of any warrior he had ever encountered... to him it didn't make any sense.

" I cannot... not while knowing he is still alive; the worst thing that can happen is I die... who knows, maybe there is a place beyond Otherworld, a place of divinity where I could truly have eternal peace and rest, and comfort in my soul... perhaps then my only comfort can be within myself... so nothing could hurt anymore" she murmured with a slightly tormented optimistic grin, glancing back at Broly for only a moment.

" What is it?" he asked.

" I will return within the next hour or so, depending on his location".

In that sentence, he had on idea on where she was heading off to, " Would you like me to accompany you?".

She shook her head, " I can fare well on my own, I don't need you to hold my hand Broly, when the time comes for your comradery, you will know".

" Where exactly are you going?".

" To find out the exact parameters of the namekian, our plans will continue, I want the final battle to come soon, no more hesitation" she replied quite sternly, before taking off in flight, in the blink of an eye.

Pikkon had left, Piccolo for once, as difficult as the situation may have been, he decided not to follow... for now anyway; Son Goku had led a plan to find her by early dawn, and from there he had no choice to annihilate her; as degrading as a man it may have been, in truth he did not have the strength to face her again, he did not know how to deal with it, for the pain in his soul was becoming physically too much to bear.

Still, he would aid in the fight; he could not allow Achika's destruction to be brought upon the innocent, all because he found it easier to cower; he had to end it once and for all... perhaps his own salvation was in death.

His strong brow narrowed as he stared into the distance, his hollow eyes suddenly gaining a glint of enlightenment.

Death, may have been the proper salvation for the both of them...

He stared into his green, clawed hands, forever stained with the invisible outline of crimson blood that he once shed, the blood that belonged to the woman he once loved... a love he was so willing to trade in for such despicable greed...

Little did he know back then, his conquest for power could never fill the void she had left behind.

Why did she have to suffer for his mistakes? It did not seem fair that she had to die again, in fault of his own flaws. The namekian clenched his fists, so tightly that lavender trickles of blood seeped from his palm; the evident turmoil and inner struggle within him permanently etched upon his face. It was in that moment Piccolo realized just how deeply, his adoration for Achika still ran, even after all of these years... yet despite what he wanted, even if he would sell his soul just to hold her in his arms once more, he had decided to leave his selfishness behind for once...

He was a namekian, so unlike her in blood and species, and yet he had found a way to care for someone on a far deeper level than he ever could have imagined; back then, he just wanted to protect her always... but even he could not shield her from himself. He was not genetically or biologically programmed like the humans were, and for many years, he was a hollow shell of a man, love was an emotion that opened the door to the radical transformation that overtook him.

Yes she was very different from him, and that was why no human could every understand Piccolo's feelings towards Achika, for it was not 'love' in a human sense, it was a connection and bond that ran much deeper, as comrades... partners... mutual friends... and he loved her with every inch of his being, though not it seemed ironic that all of that now was nonexistent.

The first stage of his transformation started with a saiyan, she whom was much nobler than he... and then there was Gohan, a little boy whose friendship allowed Piccolo to open his heart, and treasure the gifts of bonding with others, to care for friends...

If there was an alternative way to end all of this, without causing anymore pain or sacrifice to anyone he would find it, for he owed her that much... as difficult as it was to admit, Piccolo had a mental breakthrough, a moment of pure enlightenment and wisdom that would have resembled Kami more than himself.

He did not want her to love him, for nothing could ever be changed to the way things were... if he could wish anything for Achika, he would genuinely want her to have something she so rightly deserved... eternal peace.

He did not get the response that would ease his mind, the only reply he received was the rustling of the winds, picking up along the sloping plains a few hundred feet north. If their essence of communication was not so hostile, he would have been able to thank her, for in a way, it gave him comfort to think she had helped shape the man he had become.

His eyes narrowed as a wave of seriousness and brutality overtook him, equally matched with a serene calmness, if he was the man he had claimed, he knew he could not run any longer; he had to face the situation head on, and end it.

He smirked at the thought of the irony, if he and Achika's reconciliation were to occue in the Underworld, for it seemed as there was where he truly belonged.

Just before Piccolo could take flight, a voice echoed throughout the hills, causing him to stop in his place and turn; when he did, the figure dressed in robes resembling him so was the last person he had expected to see, his brows widened in brief shock.

" Dende... what are you doing here?".

The young namekian approached the older warrior, his eyes seeping with disappointment and loss, " I had my suspicions... yet I had to hear it from Son Goku about your plans, I came here to tell you I won't allow it" he replied seriously, as if readying to step in between Piccolo and the tempting sky, despite not having any fighting skill.

" What are you talking about? Get out of my way kid" Piccolo hissed.

" I'm going with you Piccolo, there is nothing you can do to stop me!" he angrily responded, " We don't have time to waste".

" This isn't your concern Dende, go back to Kami Lock; your duty is being guardian of Earth" Piccolo continued, trying to avoid his persistence by changing the subject.

" Without her I wouldn't be here... I haven't forgotten my friend... what she meant to me, unlike you" he began, emotion boiling into his tone, as if he was on the verge of tears or a mental breakdown, " I will not stand by and watch her suffer! If I can help, I will do whatever I can!".

After a long silence, Piccolo could not bring himself to say anything.

" She had helped us on more than one ocassion in the past, now I have to return the favor; I can't allow her to die again... at least not this way" Dende murmured, his mental energy beginning to wane.

Piccolo knew how much he cared for Achika, which is what made it so difficult for him to respond.

" You cannot fight Dende".

" I don't want to fight her! I just want to talk to her! Maybe if I do she will come to her senses and stop this! I think its well worth a try".

True, besides negotiations and war, there weren't virtually any other cards to play in their favor.

After a long pause , Piccolo turned to face Dende, with a confident grin, and nodded, " Alright then; like you said we don't have much time to lose".

At his approval, Dende beamed, and proceeded to follow Piccolo, to meet up with Son Goku and whoever else was going to join the fight, and then find Achika.


	8. Chapter 8 : Incomplete

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, been busy with some things, I update in little bits, check back or alert the story to see what you have missed. This is the first half of this chapter, the second half I will install shortly, so please check back and do not think this is it! There will be more coming!_

_Look under DeviantArt for the name Larien-Elensar, there I will have a new fanart pic of Achika posted if you wish to see!_

_

* * *

_

_Piccolo stood on a lone ledge side, along the rocky regions of Earth where most civilians would not tread. His eyes were hollow, yet through his emotions and mind he had a gift for being able to connect with and watch over those he cared for... Son Goku and his family... Gohan... all of them. As few years of passing would do, Piccolo visibly aged; his skin turned a shade darker of green, there were more creases in his skin, but all in all time was kind to him. _

_Approximately three years had passed since the turmoil, two saiyans had wreaked havoc on Earth, destroying cities and taking innocent lives. One saiyan in particular was one whom he knew very well, a certain person whose importance ran on the same level as Gohan to him. Things ended peacefully, and the Earth was spared a gruesome war; the battle ended as painlessly as possible, partly due to Dende's involvement._

_After a few minutes of standing in silent meditation and tranquility, he acknowledged the newcomer by opening his dark eyes. The sound of shoes on the grass and a calmer yet still visibly strong energy level got closer and close. Rather than becoming on edge with his guard up, the once lone namekian did the exact opposite; he welcomed this person with a growing smile._

_" You know, sneaking up on me doesn't quite work unless you mask your energy first? Isn't that one of the first things I taught you" he murmured, in his almost inaudibly low, raspy tone._

_" That was a long time ago... how can you expect me to remember exactly what we went over?" a soft woman's voice playfully emerged, as she approached his side. _

_Slowly he turned his husky neck towards her, to look her square in the eyes. Though she had aged just as he had, she was born of a race that was slow to show physical signs; her once youthful glow was gone, replaced by a more elegant radiance... one of softness and wisdom._

_"Am I disturbing your meditation?" she asked._

_After a pause he shook his head, " No. In fact I was just about to beckon you to my side, I would favor your company" he told her sincerely._

_During their interaction, she did not once touch him or embrace him in any way romantically. To put it realistically yet harshly, she already knew too well that it would not stir a response from Piccolo, he did not react the same way as she would to such a thing because he was not wired the same way. He was an alien not of Earth, and he did not know what a female was until he met her years ago, never mind any aspects or knowledge of romance!_

_Still, he knew love in the sense that mattered, and for her that was enough; not to mention she was teaching him along the way. Over the years he had asked about aspects of love, it made her so incredibly happy because she knew he was asking to please her. His gaze towards her was fiercely protective as if he would take a bullet at any second, it had an adoration and longing that was so unusual and tempting..._

_" Well I'm glad" she began, moving in a bit closer to him._

_" Did the children get home safely?" he asked. _

_She nodded, " Gohan took little Pan home some time after his visit; I went to Kame Lock to see Dende yesterday. He's a 'teenager' now so I have to be careful when I hug him so I don't embarass him!" she proclaimed with a chuckle. _

_Piccolo could only smile. _

_" Gohan wonders why you decided to take residence so far away from the main cities? Civilization?". _

_He smirked, " I'm a namekian, I enjoy solitude... my kind doesn't belong living amongst the humans, despite how close to the Son family I may be"._

_" You didn't get lonely?" she asked._

_" To be truthful I didn't know loneliness to be affected by it; I wasn't aware of how much in my life was truly missing until I met Gohan; his love truly changed me..." he honestly responded._

_Instead of being angry or jealous Achika nodded, for it was something she could relate to. _

_" I understand that" she added in, her thoughts crossing Dende. _

_Suddenly the wheels in Piccolo's mind began to turn, and he looked to Achika with a slightly stern and concerned expression, " Why do you ask such a thing?"._

_" I was just curious" she replied meekly; she hated when he looked at her like that._

_" Do you want a life closer to the humans?" he asked, reminiscing back on the day after the battle, when she agreed to stay by his side and abandon the chance she could have, as a normal human. _

_" If I said yes, would you try and stop me?" she asked, whispering into his pointed ears by holding onto his broad shoulders, standing on her tip toes._

_A sting of pain struck his soul, " If that is what you wanted, I wouldn't stop you... I couldn't cause you anymore pain not again... I would let you go" he told her, stammering a little at first as his tone progressively got softer._

_A small smile crossed her face, " Thank you... for being honest with me"._

_ After a few moments of silence, Piccolo stemmed up the confidence to speak up again, for he was not enjoying the path this conversation was going in._

_" Are you trying to tell me something Achika...?" _

_The woman shook her head, " I've told you already... being with you is enough, its all I want; if I wanted a normal life I wouldn't have agreed to any of this"._

_Just then, he turned to her with such a seriousness in his eyes that it made hers go wide. He took her into his arms in such a rush her skin nearly went pale from surprise. His warmth and hard chest made her feel secure, his strong arms and grip keeping her locked in his arms, an embrace she returned without a problem, resting her forehead on his pectorals. He took in the scent of her hair, burying his face into it briefly, his eyes averting down towards her as his mouth forced muffled words once more._

_" You know that I cannot give you all of the human experiences you should have" he told her. It wasn't the way he would want it if he had a choice, but it was just the way it was. The aspects of procreation, mating... even just loving her in a physical manner just to let her know how he felt was nearly impossible! Of course he craved, longed to give her all of that, to feel her skin on a much more intense level than just helping her tend to battle scars.._

_" Not in the human sense; you could show your love in different ways... namekian ways. Of course I didn't expect all of that in being with you, but I was prepared to give it all up... I couldn't help who I fell in love with" she told him, putting a finger to his lips carefully, " So don't feel bad... don't talk about it"._

_"I could somehow resurrect Shen-Lon... and.." he began, not realizing the slow violet blush forming on his cheeks._

_" I'm sure you'll think of something" she mused with a giggle and a wink._

_" Pikkon could have given you what I couldn't... I'm curious, what made you choose me for your mate? After I caused you so much agony?" he asked, clearly conflicted within himself._

_" I did love Pikkon, he stood by me when you did not... when I came back to Earth I thought my feelings for you would vanish. Even though I hated you for what you did, I still loved you... and when it came down to it, my love for you overpowered my affections for Pikkon" she spoke._

_" It's been some time..." Piccolo mused, secretively trying to get information out of her._

_" I made a promise to Pikkon, I travel to Nakor when I am able... he is still a dear friend of mine you know" she told him with a slightly arrogant vice._

_She could see the distaste in his body posture._

_Suddenly he took her face into his hands, not to hurt her of course, but firm enough to keep her eyes locked on him._

_" Nothing like that will ever happen again! I **will** protect you Achika" he told her firmly, and she knew he was a man of his word._

_She could only smile, " I don't need you to protect me Piccolo... I forgave you some time ago"._

_" My guilt will always be my cross to bear unfortunately" he mused in shame._

_" Piccolo" she called out, seeing his head turn from her in that self loathing._

_His eyes flickered back to her, and her words were like the greatest treasure._

_" I love you, understand? Now shut up and stop whining" ._

"Piccolo?".

"Mister Piccolo!".

The older namekian warrior was broken from his daydream by Dende, the adolescent whom was pointing to a tiny house in the distance. From what he could tell, it was the Son residence; they had gotten so close it was visible with the naked eye; it was about time! It had taken about an hour for them to arrive.

Piccolo knew that Goku would be willing to step in once more; once Vegeta realized his family was at stake hopefully he would do the same. Basically, it was the entire group against two super saiyans, Achika and Broly. It seemed unfair as far as numbers went, but judging by the power level, there could be no room for mistakes, and all the room for extra precautions.

As Dende rushed towards the house to find Goku, Piccolo painfully reminisced the slivers of memories, no matter how unrealistic and ridiculous this daydream was, it was absolutely wonderful to him. For Piccolo, it was everything he could ever want for an outcome, though he knew it would never be the case; still that did not stop him from hoping. As much as he hated being so selfish, putting himself before the fate of the Earth his heart was in shambles.

He wasn't happy about having to drag Dende into this mess... but at the moment he loathed him with every inch of his being... for disturbing that utterly euphoric yet absence of reality.

Achika's eyes stared into the hollow ground; only upon approval did she rise from her place, knelt in a bow of respect. By her side was Broly, his eyes intent on the newcomer whom had approached.

" Father" Broly mused, with a certain hesitance.

The older, dark skinned rather worn looking Saiyan observed the two, before looking to his son, free from his former restraints. Broly was indeed dangerous and justifiably insane in Paragus's eyes, so the man wondered what was keeping Broly subdued and almost... tame for the past few years.

" You've managed to escape trouble without your restraints son" Paragus commented, in a husky tone; for this he was baffled, until his eyes caught the face of the woman before him, standing loyally beside his son, and for this Paragus realized Broly's motives.

He moved towards the young female with a rather cynical grin, words escaping his throat hidden by a mask of false sincerity.

" I've heard stories of you, King Vegeta's daughter... quite a beauty despite your battle scars, now I see why my son is kept so calm..." Paragus snickered.

Achika grimaced in distaste, but endured the comments out of respect for Broly, and partly wanting Paragus's allegiance at their disposal if need be.

"So you will ally yourself with our conquest?" she asked, wishing to get straight to the point, for in all honesty Paragus's presence made her uneasy... and slightly sickened.

Paragus hesitated a moment, and Broly spoke up fearing his father would decline; in order to move forward, they needed all the strength and wisdom they could gather on their side. Achika knew others would come against them, she wouldn't be fighting just Piccolo... Pikkon would be there, dear foolish Pikkon... Son Goku, Krillin and perhaps... no... Vegeta; picturing her brother fight for anything that didn't involve his own selfish gain seemed impossible to her.

" I will help with what I can... from what I understand these fighters have seen the ascension to Super Saiyan and want to anihilate the cause?" Paragus asked.

Broly and Achika glanced towards one another; Achika was about to object to his theory before Broly hastily interrupted in agreement.

" I see. Well then we will see who will be the annihilated group; our saiyan heritage is the most important thing we have. For one to ascend to Super Saiyan level is something to be feared, worshiped and to rule... not to be persecuted" Broly's father mused with a cynical gaze. In that moment, he reminded Achika of someone and it took her a few moments to figure it out, but when she did, her heart nearly stopped.

King Vegeta... her father.

Achika found herself caught in the crossfire; she was neither a purebred Saiyan or human; it was something she and Son Goku had in common, probably the cause of them getting along so well when she first met him. She could never truly sympathize or belong to any specific group... it took her a long time to finally realize her identity, and make a name for herself in a world where power and class was everything. It was ironic really, she thought they were all her friends, comrades in arms... now they were fighting against one another.

" So then it is settled; you agree by your code of honor to aid in battle? What is it that you expect in return Father?" Broly asked with a growing raised brow, leaving no room for suspicion or surprise.

Paragus gave Achika a certain stare... and in that stare, she almost saw through his soul, knowing exactly what he wanted from this bargain...

" He wants my brother dead... and he wants us to do it" Achika spoke aloud, coldly as she glanced towards her partner.

Broly stared at his father as he smirked, wondering what exactly he was up to.

" Will you lead the way Achika?" Paragus asked.

" I suppose I don't have a choice..." she replied with a light smirk.

When Achika proceeded to leave the perimeter, leading the group in flight Paragus took his son's arm as he watched him dutifully follow his comrade. Broly held a grimace, knowing what would become of their conversation but he lagged behind, giving Achika an excuse so they could follow behind in a delayed fashion.

" What is it?" Broly interjected, growing irritated by the furrowing of his brow."

Paragus sent a hard, stern gaze his way; it was then that Broly's apprehension came to a boil. He was hoping his father would not ask him to continue with the plan they had forged some years father turned to him and spoke in a low, rasped tone that held such intense resentment and anger it worried Broly slightly.

" The plan is now in motion" he began, " Do not allow your attachment to the woman interfere with the original mission".

" And yet you just agreed to the slaying of Prince Vegeta?" Broly asked.

" That swine doesn't deserve the title! Once your true power is known, you my son will rule! Those who scorned us will cower, including Vegeta!".

" How do you plan to do that?".

" Get rid of the woman, perhaps once that distraction is gone, your hazy vision of where your loyalty is will finally become clear" Paragus confirmed rather coldly, spilling another's blood to the point of death clearly did not stir an ounce of remorse of second thought.

" You're asking me to kill my partner Father...".

Paragus looked to his son in distaste, " Your lusting over this woman is clouding your motives; there are thousands of others... this one in particular is vital to our plans... do not blow this Broly" he growled.

Broly paused a moment before nodded.

Paragus grinned like a child on Christmas, " I'm glad you see things my way. Think of it Broly, they will all have their judgment... and we will be the ones laughing when we have them kissing our feet, begging for their lives".

As his father motioned to follow behind Achika, towards yet another betrayal, Broly briefly lagged behind. He was engulfed in inner turmoil, could he truly betray Achika and be the cause of her death... yet again? If she died a second time, it would be certain that she would not be given another chance at life; especially since they had both escaped by force from Otherworld's restraints.

He took a few moments before he joined the group in flight. However he returned to Achika's side, not that of his father's; they never did have the closest relationship anyway. When Broly glanced over at her, her eyes held such a malice... a anticipation and a very intense focus... he knew how much this battle meant to her, who was he to take it away? He knew what his betrayal would do to her... but when it came down to it, his hatred of Vegeta and the loyalty to his father came first above all else.

" Do you see anything Mister Piccolo?" asked the adolescent Dende whom was intently staring up at the sky as if looking for something; he was looking for _her_, and Piccolo grimaced at the thought of what the boy would have to witness. However, Dende was nearly an adult and Guardian of Earth after Kami, who was he to make his decisions for him?

Along the grassy hillside, a few thousand kilometers from the nearest city stood Son Goku, Krillin, Piccolo and Dende. All of them had aged with time, but they stood with hard expressions, gathering their ki in preparation for battle that was approaching rapidly. The shortest man Krillin looked to Goku whom was unusually quiet, he hadn't spoken a word since they had left.

" What's the plan Goku?".

" I'm going on the hope Krillin that maybe this can be talked through; I don't want to fight someone whom was once a friend, especially someone who helped me rid the world of Freiza. If I must fight in order to protect the innocent lives then I will, but I would want that to be a last resort more than anything else" Goku replied.

The saiyan than looked to Piccolo, " You said she had more with her? More saiyans? We've seen him before..." Goku mused.

Piccolo nodded, " His name is Broly... he's helped Achika destroy about three cities in only a few days time... hopefully with the two of them against all of us we have a fair chance at beating them" he spoke, as coldly as if Achika was equivalent to an opponent such as Buu.

After a moment's pause, Dende nearly jumped at the immediate sensing of a new energy, it was something unrecognizable... different than the other two he deemed familiar.

" Someone else is with them! The power level is enormous!" Dende commented aloud in shock.

Tuning into the area around them, Piccolo was startled when he sensed the same energy, " It's a saiyan energy... but one that I don't think any of us recognize" he began, and his suspicions were confirmed when Goku and Krillin seemed just as puzzled.

" Great! Three of them? What about Vegeta, is he coming?" asked the baffled Krillin.

" Vegeta only looks out for himself, he had nothing to gain by coming... so he refused" Piccolo spat, gritting the words like poison in his teeth.

" They're here!" Dende cried, pointing to the sky which glimmered at the first visible sign of movement. Three figured which looked nothing more than dots clouded in energy flew, headed straight for them. When they landed, Piccolo was too late to grab Dende to stop him, before he instinctively jogged up to the newcomers.

The adolescent saw the face he adored and missed for so long, but stopped dead in his tracks after a good look at her. The Achika he saw before him, emerging in a cloud of dust and ki was an entirely different being. Her once kind face was deadened and hollow, her eyes so filled with rage and malcontent... as if she was thirsting for bloodshed right then and there.

Piccolo stepped to Dende's side, speaking aloud in a booming tone.

" Who are you?" he called to the new unfamiliar saiyan.

The taller, older saiyan only smirked at the recognition, negative as it was, and introduced himself with an arrogance and cockiness that did not surprise the others; it came with the bloodline.

" You've met my son... Broly" he began, pointing to the younger male saiyan beside him, " I am Paragus... I've come looking for the son of King Vegeta... you don't happen to know where I can find him?" he asked with a sinister chuckle.

Goku was taken back, but decided to interject, " Vegeta is dead!".

Paragus was growing angry by the outright lie, and was about to speak before Achika put up her hand to cease his words. She stepped forward, with a sense of darkened pride and cynical arrogance, a smirk slowly playing across her lips.

" We will find Vegeta when the time is necessary, he is very much alive..." she spoke aloud to inform Paragus, " But as of right now our duel begins here".

At hearing her voice, Dende could barely contain himself. Foolishly, he ran out to meet Achika and give her the greeting he had craved, since he never had the chance to say goodbye to begin with. Newly fresh tears formed in the corners of his large eyes, as he ignored the calls and pleas to from Piccolo and the others to return to the safety of their protection.

Dende thought they were mad... why would he need protection from such an old and special friend? He realized why not soon after...

The namekian boy stopped dead in his tracks when Broly's outstretched hand was nearly inches from his face. He smiled in relief when Achika reached out her hand to cease Broly's actions, but his smile quickly turned into a stare of utter terror.

" You will shed no blood here.." she told her partner with a shred of affection in her tone, before outstretching her own palm that was forming a slowly growing yet powerful surge of energy, readying to be released.

Dende stared into the crazed eyes of his possible murderer, never before had she been so frightening to him; the glimmer in her eyes caused from the newly forming energy made it evidently clear that she wasn't going to stop.

It was then that he came to the painful conclusion that his Achika... the one he knew years ago died then... and she wasn't ever coming back...


	9. Chapter 9: Face of a stranger

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, been busy with some things, I update in little bits, check back or alert the story to see what you have missed. This is the first half of this chapter, the second half I will install shortly, so please check back and do not think this is it! There will be more coming!_

_Look under DeviantArt for the name Larien-Elensar, there I will have a new fanart pic of Achika posted if you wish to see!_

_

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_

"You have to stop this! He's just a boy!" Goku called out in terror.

As the blast morphed and grew, seemingly feeding from the energy from the atmosphere, Dende's eyes widened as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. He instinctively put his hands out, his energy was no match for that of a saiyan's. Sure, he had some spiritual energy to heal and create barriers, but in all truth, Achika could kill him effortlessly if she really wanted to. Right now, he wasn't quite sure what would become of his uncertain existence; it was in her hands, and right now the outcome didn't look good.

" Achika-chan... please?" whispered Dende, in a pathetic, helpless murmur.

The female only stared at him with a rather hollow expression, in all truth Dende could no longer see the warmth in her soul. It was as if she had been reborn in a shell, dead internally... nothing fueling her existence from her rage. If he wasn't so frightened, he couldn't have the heart to be angry with her for turning on him, only pity. " Why should I boy? Tell me... why should I spare you when my life was cut short? Especially when you are standing in the way?" she asked sarcastically, with a snide bitterness seeping from her harsh words.

" Because the Achika I know wouldn't ever hurt me... I loved her very much, I still do" Dende answered in a very stern expression, though he could not fight the few tears that welled up in his glassy eyes, and inevitably ran down his cheeks.

In that moment Achika seemed to regain a piece of her humanity; the energy in her hand lessened, and she murmured his name, with a shred of affection she once remembered harboring for such a special friend. Kneeling down to meet him eye level, she was not surprised when he nearly jumped in hesitation and fear. Her face and tone was leveled out with a sense of calmness, as she decided to speak once more.

" You were the only one who ever believed in me Dende... I haven't forgotten that; so I will give you the time to flee, this feud doesn't involve you" she told him simply, as if the talk of sparing his life could be compared to a lovely stroll in the park.

For a moment Dende considered this deal; but then he remembered... those who fought in battles before and died trying to save the very life he cherished. Son Goku... Krillin, Piccolo they all were fighting, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing again. He was the Guardian of the Earth, what good would he be if he couldn't even stand up and risk an honorable death trying to protect humanity. His expression changed to a deadly seriousness, it surprised even Achika, and he spoke with such a passion and discipline it became evidently clear that Dende was no longer the vulnerable little boy on Namek... he had grown up.

" I... I will not! I c-cannot let you destroy this planet and cause harm to innocent people! As the Guardian of this earth, I have no choice but to stop you! My duty comes first... despite what I feel about you" the young namekian told her, stumbling over his words in a loud yet seriously damaged tone, as if it was physically causing him pain. Dende nearly broke down in that moment, for it was the hardest decision he ever had to make; not only had Achika been a friend and saved his life more than once as a child, but she was something so much more. As Dende aged, he finally began to realize how much he missed her... for on Namek warmth and affection was scarce, he had an unrelenting bond with Achika, one that could never be replaced...

He supposed if he could compare it to something, her prevalence in his life was like a human mother and her child; for in a way, she was. Her affection was once so enormous it was bursting, and what hurt him the most is sensing the anger and resentment that replaced all of that goodness.

The female's eyes narrowed at the response, and she let out a sigh of disappointment.

" Don't waste time on the boy m'lady... we have bigger issues to handle" Broly spoke up, approaching Achika in a gesture that questioned the validity of their sole partnership; when he reached to touch her Piccolo nearly vomited. A surge of rage shot through his veins, starting from his toes to his skull, but luckily he managed to hold his tongue.

Irritated, she pushed Broly away, " If I don't get rid of him now, I'll regret it later" she mused, acting as if Dende meant absolutely nothing to her.

It was then that Broly's hard gaze met Dende's terrified yet brave eyes, " You should run along now" he warned.

" No! I won't!" Dende nearly shouted in response.

" Well then, you leave me no choice but to dispose of you; I gave you a chance Dende" she murmured callously, before outstretching her hand a few inches from his face while the energy blast surged within her palm once more. It grew and became more powerful by the second, all Dende could do was wait for death's door. What he did not expect was for Piccolo to appear in front of him, shielding his face with his arms, preparing to take the full brunt of the assault.

" Mr Piccolo! What are you doing?" Dende called, but got no response.

However, when Piccolo prepared to meet the blast head on, he was surprised and confused to find nothing happen, only silence. In the blink of an eye he averted his eyes forward, to see something unexpected occur so rapidly he didn't even see it coming or occur. Achika was thrown back, unable to finish her attack, with such a force that she flew straight into a nearby boulder. She went with such a speed, the boulder collapsed in half with much smoke and debris, along with a ear shattering CRASH!

" What was that?" Dende asked, baffled and slightly nervous, " Another saiyan?".

Piccolo looked around a bit, waiting until the faint energy he sensed was easier to track and recognize; when he did have an idea of who attacked Achika his eyes widened in disbelief and slight anger.

" It can't be..." he hissed.

The Z fighters were interrupted by a figure whom levitated to the ground with such a grace and speed it wouldn't have been recognized, have not been for their ability to track ki. The warrior rose from the ground, adorned in green skin and heavy white robes, and a stone serious, slightly intimidating expression.

" A-another namekian?" Dende asked, speechless.

Piccolo scoffed, " No...worse".

Goku stared in disbelief as the figure's face came into full view, " Pikkon? Is that you? What on earth are you doing here?" he called.

Pikkon's attention was not towards the Z fighters, but directed entirely elsewhere. He watched like a cat to a mouse as something stirred from the rubble, watching as Achika emerged with minor injuries, enraged but with more of a hurt pride than anything else.

" He's here for her" Piccolo monotonously replied, watching the two with a look of utter repulsion. It was in that moment that Goku started to piece together what was going on; judging from Piccolo's resentment, he was not the only one who had feelings for Achika. In fact, Pikkon had come to try to save Achika! Or at least be the one to end her suffering, or so he observed.

When Achika could see through the clearing ash and dust, she too was bemused by the sight of an old companion.

" Pikkon?" she murmured, levitating into the sky then onto the grassy ground to meet him, but cautiously kept her distance.

Pikkon only stared at her, but said nothing in return.

A smirk came to her lips, " Let me guess... you too have come to attempt a hand at my demise?" she asked with a cocky undertone, placing a hand to her hip.

" If that is what it takes to stop this" he murmured, as if resenting the very words that emerged from his throat.

Achika could only laugh in mockery, " I see now, how do you plan to do that? Will you try and take out the other saiyans first? Or will you attempt to gain my affections and then kill me when my back is turned?" she asked, taking a verbal stab at Piccolo; he must have heard for his head hung low in shame afterward.

" Neither; if I must fight it will be a duel between you and I. I won't disrespect your intelligence with an unfair fight" Pikkon replied simply, with a wisdom that seemed to ebb from his skin.

" So you won't back down?" she asked, slowly becoming less tense and more playfully casual in her speech.

Pikkon smugly grinned, as he shook his head.

Her dark eyes widened briefly, " I've always wanted a spar with you, this should be interesting. You promised me one before...".

" Before we duel... there is something I want to thank you for" Pikkon began, his words calm and collective, as if he was speaking from the innermost depths of his being.

" Thank me? Feh! for what?" she asked with a scoff and a raised brow.

He stared up at Achika with such an intensity and focus in his crimson eyes... such a passion, it nearly convinced Piccolo that maybe Pikkon was, and always had been... the better man.

" For giving a dead man a chance to live again; your friendship made me realize how much of a soulless, dead creature I truly was. It filled a century old void that no amount of training could ever fill. I will try to save you with every ounce of my strength, but if I cannot then I will see to it that your suffering ends, whether it be in this world or the next".

"By killing me, you vermin!" she growled infuriated.

"If that's what it takes".

" Is that why you're here Pikkon!" the female saiyan nearly screeched.

" No. I want to end your pain Achika not fuel it..." Pikkon began. As Dende watched the two's conversation from afar he almost felt sympathy for the Nakorian, for he could see traces of deep anguish and sorrow in his calm, yet powerful stare.

" Why should it matter to you!".

" Because my love for you is that overbearing" Pikkon began, pausing before a light chuckle escaped his throat as well as a small smirk, " I didn't think it was possible for someone who had been dead as long as I have... when I met you I was able to better myself...".

There was a brief silence, mainly due to shock before Achika spoke up bitterly.

" What could you know about love? namekians... nakorians you damned aliens are all the same! You're only objective is a power craze, and it's time that overgrown slug pay for what he did to me!" she bellowed, pointing a finger at Piccolo, slightly shaking and hyperventilating due to her overwhelming rage and adrenaline rush.

" Then fight me Achika! You can have your revenge, just you and me!" Piccolo spoke up, ready to face possible death in order to end all of this; he couldn't say it was partly deserved.

Achika took a moment to ponder the offer through her cynical mind until someone interjected.

" Wait your turn Namek; you don't deserve the right to be the first to fight... if I do not return... do what is best, for her this time... not yourself" Pikkon chimed in, with a calming almost soothing tone, laced in a vindictive, lingering animosity.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, though he knew now was not the time to settle his sour feelings towards the nakorian.

" So, shall we start this?" Achika asked, tilting her head to each side, revealing a sickly cracking sound.

Pikkon nodded.

" What should happen if I was to defeat you? All your efforts would be in vain..." she taunted almost flirtatiously.

" Let's just hope you are able to kill me first" Pikkon stated with a sneer.

It was then that the pair vanished in the blink of an eye, taking off into the sky to begin battle, it was almost impossible to trace. However, Paragus looked to his son Broly, who seemed eager and slightly concerned.

For this Paragus smirked, " When this is settled... you hope to have the female for yourself?" he asked.

Broly seemed caught off guard by his father's question but replied nonetheless, " If that is what she desires as well, though I must say our bond has strengthened exponentially as time passed".

Paragus nodded in glee after reminiscing the many possibilities, " I'm sure she would not object; just think Broly... a brood with the strength of your own mixed with King Vegeta's daughter... the noble blood and the power combined is unfathomable!".

Broly frowned, remembering the very similar proposition that had been brought up by Achika recently, " It wouldn't be solely based on the breeding privileges father". He had remembered despising Achika when he first laid eyes on her... but ending up in Otherworld with her, rebuilding a sense of hope... his feelings for her overrode his need for a comrade... replaced by a longing for a mate.

" But that is what she wants?" Paragus asked, putting more salt in the wound.

His son did not answer, he just averted his eyes briefly off to the side then towards the sky in which he could see tiny sparks of light, from where Pikkon and Achika were most likely exchanging punches. He was about to go to her, but something stopped him in his tracks; it was his father's rough hand upon his shoulder and his firm gaze, he knew what Paragus was about to say and Broly wasn't looking forward to hearing it.

" You know what you must do... if we are to find Prince Vegeta she is our biggest threat... disarm her, now" Paragus hissed.

In that moment Broly knew he had to make a choice; to go ahead with his plans or threaten any chance with the one he loved. He was about to abandon all prior arrangements until he remembered his suffering as an infant... what King Vegeta did to himself and his father. They were laughing at him, and his son was still alive with his proud ego, getting stronger by the day... while technically Broly was still in the shadow of the valley of death.

It infuriated him, to the point where he morphed into his super saiyan form; his hair turned golden, his body bulked up to nearly triple its normal size, and his eyes held such a rage it was frightening. He flew up to meet the saiyaness and Pikkon head on, and as Piccolo observed, he became more and more concerned.

Dende looked over to his fellow namekian, " what is it Mr Piccolo?".

Piccolo watched Broly like prey... he didn't trust the man one bit, and his instincts begged him to follow. He remained uncertain for a moment, and it seemed Dende seemed to comprehend what was going on; he did not expect what happened next, Piccolo prepared to take off into the sky above, to follow after Broly.

However, Piccolo's actions were ceased when they saw something fall from the sky. First came Pikkon, his arm twisted the opposite way as he fell to the ground, leaving a crater nearly the size of the city itself. After that came Broly and Achika; when they met the ground Broly was on top of her, his body mass enormous compared to hers. His harge hands were over her neck, choking her as she fought for oxygen.

Though he had the upper hand, she was still fighting; Goku noticed blood dripping from the saiyan's face, Achika had dug her nails so far into his face it was creating flesh wounds. They laid in the rubble, and after a few moments Pikkon rose to his feet, shocked and greatly angered by what he saw, though his first few moments were disabled by the searing pain in his arm that adrenaline masked.

Her gaze upon him was filled with confusion, shock, agony, desperation and rage. She knew she was no match for his saiyan form in her normal phase, yet he had caught her off guard, something she regretted now.

" How dare you-s-so... this... was... plan all... along" she wheezed with a smirk, feeling pressure starting to build on her trachea as her gaze averted briefly to the arrogant Paragus, who seemed to be greatly enjoying the sight.

" You must pay, for what you father did to us... you and your damned brother" was all Broly muttered, affection laced in a terrible brooding malcontent.

" You sunnovabitch, I'll kill you!" Achika sneered, wanting nothing more than to rip his head from his body, but it proved to be very difficult to even move a muscle as she was being deprived of air. The sinking feeling in her guilt also proved to be nearly unbearable, it was the same feeling she had when Piccolo raised the hand to end her life... ultimate betrayal... it was happening all over again.

She closed her eyes as she went in and out of consciousness, her vision hazy and blurring; she was certain soon she would meet her end. Though this time, it would probably be straight to hell. From that awful place there was no escape... or getting revived to have a second chance at life... just an eternity of utter misery. Instead of loathing the thought she welcomed it, knowing that perhaps it was just fate that deprived her of peace in both the living and dead worlds.

Paragus was keeping the others busy from interfering...and Piccolo had made the ultimate decision; instead of going to Achika's aid he had stayed with Dende to protect him. For the namekian knew if the guardian of the earth perished the dragon balls would be nonexistent, and the innocent people who died in Achika's tirade wouldn't be wished back. Dende was scared, but he could see the inner turmoil that tore apart Piccolo, it was evident clear on his face.

Broly though he had won and he relished the thought as he strangled the life from his opponent slowly. A strange, murderous tyrade overtook him, replacing the once calm and collected yet powerful warrior. Though something instantly stopped him, and his grip released from the female's limp neck; he turned to stare off into the distance... and for once in some time he looked exceedingly nervous... almost afraid.

" Do you sense that power level? It's huge!" Krillin spoke up.

In the moment of both Paragus and Broly's cease of action, Piccolo rushed to Achika's motionless side, followed by they got to her she was barely breathing or moving, her neck was bruised an ugly blackish coloring, wincing in undoubtedly terrible physical pain. Piccolo said her name, and she opened her eyes... which seemed less violent and unpredictable... more nervous and alert, like someone whom was just about to die.

" W-where is Pikkon?" she asked in a very faint whisper.

" He's okay" Dende lied, remembering the formation of the warrior's right arm, yet he was still alive.

Wide eyed and clearly nervous, Piccolo briefly looked out into the distance, sensing a power level come closer, " That power..." he commented aloud.

" W-what is it?" asked Achika once more.

As the many fighters overlooked the distance a figure came into view, the identity becoming more clear as he got closer. When it finally did, none of them could believe who it was; a large man in super saiyan form wearing the blue and white armor of a true saiyan prince emerged from the dust, standing tall and proud in all of his glory. His muscular form showed no mercy and his expression was stern and as ruthless as his late father.

" Vegeta..." Goku murmured in disbelief as the man came upon the battle scene.

The saiyan prince observed the bemused warriors and the two namekians aiding a body... that body belonging to his sister... the other was some green alien, someone he mistakenly assumed for another namekian. Upon looking at Broly and Paragus he unexpectedly threw his head back and let out a hearty, smug laughter that boomed. Paragus and Broly instantly tensed and shot daggers at the new presence.

" I knew you would return Paragus! You're a lowly pathetic excuse to our race! What? Did you send your son to come back to punish me? " he scoffed, " Our father did the right thing by planning your execution.. too bad it worked out for you in the end" he stated, the malevolent yet curious grin never leaving his face.

" My son is a super saiyan! He will crush your arrogant ass into the ground Vegeta!" Paragus promised.

Vegeta raised a brow and brushed him off like a pest on his shoulder, " Is that why he tried to kill my sister? Why not take us both head on if you're so confident? Go ahead Paragus, I'm right here!" he bellowed but then chuckled, " Oh I see, you must have realized... we both have the super saiyan gene".

" Vegeta" Goku called, trying to reasoning with his friend and comrade in arms.

" Stay out of it Kakarott! This is personal family business!" Vegeta spat, narrowing his eyes as the grin grew wider.

It was then that Paragus approached, " So is this a promise of a duel?" he asked.

Vegeta nodded, " Just between us... I will have both of your heads on a platter".

Broly grinned at his father, thinking they would have the advantage until Vegeta did something unexpected.

" Achika! get your ass up and fight!" the prince bellowed like he was beckoning a servant.

" Her neck's almost broken!" Dende called back in defense.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, " I can see where your intelligence level is at, if her neck was broken she would be dead... again" he finished.

" Wait a minute Vegeta, you said this fight would be between us?" Paragus asked in confusion.

" It is Paragus; you don't seem to catch on quick so let me explain it to you; you had the balls to come here and proposition me? Thinking you could kill me? Wrong. You came with a stake to claim on my father's behalf... you will have your revenge, if you can kill both me and my bastard sister...which is highly unlikely" Vegeta told him.

Paragus became extremely frustrated, he had had enough with Vegeta's pompous arrogance, it was evident on his face.

As Vegeta's eyes averted to Achika's bruised body and slowly approached, Piccolo took the offensive.

" Get out of my way Namek, or I will destroy you and the boy, and blow you into the wind!" he hoarsely threatened. It took Piccolo a moment to back down, for he didn't have another choice, but he also knew not to doubt a promise from such a vile man.

Achika was stirred by a shadow hovering over her, briefly obstructing her already limited vision. When she recognized the face she could have sworn she was either dead or dreaming. That was until Vegeta picked her up by the front of the fabric of her clothes, lifting her into thin air; it took her a few tries and staggered steps for her to barely be able to stand on her own two feet.

Achika looked to her absent brother bemused, " Why are you here?".

" I sensed Paragus's energy level, it's so weak I could never forget it" Vegeta replied.

" Broly is the stronger one".

" Hence why I need you alive".

Achika wanted to make sure she heard him right, " You want me to fight?".

" As much as I hate to admit it, I may need another saiyan when fighting Broly... his power is not one to be underestimated, he tried to kill you. He and his father have a score to settle with our family... well our father. As much as I resent the fact, you are apart of his legacy, faulty or not, this score involves you as well" Vegeta admitted hesitantly, as if mebarassed.

It was the first time Achika heard him remotely refer to her as his sibling, or as apart of their father's bloodline. As much as she loathed the both of them, in that moment she had found something that she had craved since she was a child; a purpose... the feeling of belonging. For this she decided to put all differences aside and work with Vegeta, a smirk came to her face as she outstretched her hand to him.

" If it's a fight he wants he'll certainly get it, what do you say?" she offered.

Not too long after she was answered with Vegeta's large hand upon her own, in a sort of brief shake of agreement, and a reassuring cocky grin; as they both turned to face the other saiyans she realized perhaps being an egotistical bastard was something they both shared.


End file.
